Trainer and the Princess
by black angel 2011
Summary: Salvia follows Ash on his journey to compete in the Masters Challenge which takes them to all regions of the Pokemon World. Salvia is being chased by her father who wants her home to protect her from his brother who seeks to take control of the kingdom by kidnapping the princess. It soon falls to Ash to protect the princess from the dangers of the world. AshXSalvia please R
1. New Roads

**Episode 1: New Roads**

_This is an extended version of a one-shot that I thought had amazing potential to become a main story, this is basically a rare pairing between Ash and Princess Salvia. There will be other pairnings in this story but they will only get a small shred of light in this story._

_Ash: 17_

_Princess Salvia: 16_

_Disclaimer: I do not own the pokemon franchise._

* * *

_(Normal POV)_

Princess Salvia had been sitting in her room on her own thinking about the day she participated in a pokemon contest for one time, it was a great moment for her winning her only ribbon, but sadly she longed for more of an adventure, she looked over to her closet to find an outfit that her doppelganger gave her, Salvia walked up to the outfit and looked at it for a moment, she picked it up and smiled at the memories of that one contest.

"I only got to see what a contest is like, I want to see the world," Salvia pointed out as her smile turned to a frown, she looked at the outfit and started to think about something, 'what is the world like outside these palace walls? What dangers are out there, I need to experience them for myself,' Salvia thought while getting ready to change her outfit.

Salvia walked up to her room window until a familiar person walked into her room, "how is my daughter going?" asked a woman with long blue hair wearing a white dress, "you seem very low in confidence Salvia," her mother said in concern.

"Mom, I want to see the world, I want to experience the frill of pokemon battling to its fullest extent," Salvia confessed seriously.

Her mother looked at her daughter with concern as she saw her holding onto the outfit one of her new friends got her, "Salvia my dear the world is a volatile place, so many dangers, you need to stay here where it is safe," the woman told her daughter with a smile, she walked up to Salvia and took the outfit from her and placed it back into the closet, "your new friend gave that to you to remember her, I am not sure that her and her other friends would be happy if you left the life of a princess," Salvia's mom pointed out with a frown.

Salvia watched as her mom exited the room, she walked back towards the closet and pulled out the outfit that Dawn gave her, "I will see the world, even if it means defying me parent's wishes," Salvia told herself as she exchanged the clothes she was wearing for her friends clothes, "sorry mom and dad, there is a bigger world out there, staying in this palace would only prevent me from finding out what is out there," Salvia said calmly.

She looked out the window to see a beautiful day with the green fields and pokemon flying over the fields, a few white clouds dotting the bright blue sky, "if I can just get out of here," Salvia thought out loud after putting on the outfit. She walked up to the window and looked down to find that it wasn't to high up, "alright here I go, time to see the world, good bye mom and dad," Salvia said while jumping out the window, "I will come back safely," Salvia promised as she ran towards the palace entrance.

A maid knocked on the door of the princess's room, she opened the door without looking, "Lady Salvia, it's time to," she looked around I shock as the person she was referring to was not in the room, she looked up to the window to discover that it was open, "not again, the king will not be happy to discover that his daughter is on the run again," the maid said with a saddened expression, "guards, send out a message, tell the rest of the guards to find the princess," the maid told the guard standing at the other end of the hallway.

"Ma'am," the guard saluted promptly as he ran away from his post to help with the search for Salvia.

Salvia looked around to see the guards running over the place to search for her, "great, this place is crawling with my family guards, I need to find another way out," Salvia told herself, she looked around keeping an eye out for an opening, "I will not be denied I want to see the world," Salvia kept repeating to herself.

Salvia looked around until she spotted her father standing at the palace entrance, "guards what's going on?" the king asked with anger.

"Sire, the princess has escaped her room, we are trying to find her," one of the guards said with a salute.

The kings anger grew as the news of his daughters escape reached his ears, "find her, I don't want her to be in any sort of danger!" the king ordered the guards.

"Dad, you are too protective, I will follow my ambitions, I said I will come back safely once I have seen the world," Salvia declared as she looked around until she found an opening that allowed her to get outside the palace walls, "yes, now I will see what's outside the palace walls," Salvia said in celebration, Salvia quickly snuck to the opening without the guards knowing she was around, she finally made it to the opening and walked out into the open world, "dad, I don't want you to worry too much," Salvia said with a smile.

Salvia followed the road until she reached a large seaside city, she looked around amazed at the thing she was seeing, "Wow, such tall buildings, so many lights and look at how many people there are," Salvia said with naivety, she continued to look around the massive city, "amazing, I have never seen anything like this before," Salvia told herself while trying to find her way around the city.

While Salvia was looking around the City, Ash was walking through the same City on his own, finding information about the next Pokemon League that was set to take place in this region, "great, there hasn't been a Pokemon League in two years," Ash said with disappointment. Ash looked around when he spotted a young bluenette wearing a white blouse with a black vest, a pink scarf, skirt and boots as well as a white beanie with a pink pokeball design, "what? I thought Dawn was in the Johto region competing in the contests there," Ash wondered.

Pikachu wondered what was going on, the young lady was looking around like she had never been in the city, "I am so lost," Salvia told herself with slight fear.

Ash quickly ran up to the young woman, "Dawn, I thought you were in Johto," Ash said after running up to the young lady, Salvia looked at Ash in a perplexed manner, "so where's Piplup?" Ash asked in a puzzled manner.

"Sir Ash, it's so good to see you again," Princess Salvia said with a smile.

Ash was hugely surprised when he heard the bluenette's mannerisms, "wait a second you're not Dawn, then must mean you're Princess Salvia," Ash said with shock, "what are you doing here Princess Salvia?" Ash asked with great surprise, "you are wearing one of my friend's outfits, but what reason do you have for leaving your duties?" Ash asked with slight anger directed at the royal.

"Sir Ash I want to see the world, I want to experience a lot more than what I have been taught by my tutors and through books," Salvia said with a frown, "I understand that there are dangers that I don't know about, but I want to learn about them through real life experience," Salvia told Ash with a grin.

"But Princess, there are people that could take advantage of you position as a royal, there dangers that could get you hurt or worse killed," Ash told the young royal, "I think it would be best that I take you back to the palace," Ash suggested calmly, he tried to walk away but Salvia took his arm to prevent him from leaving, "princess, this world is a dangerous place, I can't see one of my friends getting hurt," Ash told the bluenette.

Salvia looked at Ash with tears rolling down her face, "I know about the dangers, but how do I know what the real world is like if I don't find out for myself?" Salvia asked Ash while crying, "please Sir Ash, I have a request for you," Salvia said with renewed determination, "please take me with you on your travels, I don't want to be stuck in a palace all day for the rest of my life, I want to see the world," Salvia requested with a smile, Ash just looked at her with shock at the strange request that was being given to him, he looked at Pikachu for a moment, "please Sir Ash," Salvia begged with all her might.

Ash looked down to the ground in submission, he let out a sigh of disbelief before raising his head to look into Salvia's bright blue eyes, "Alright, but I have three conditions, one we need to get you a new outfit," Ash replied calmly.

Salvia looked at the outfit that Dawn gave her and shook her head, "sorry Sir Ash, I can't do that," Salvia remarked with a frown.

"Salvia, if we don't get you a new outfit, the people of the palace will recognize you, think of it as a disguise," Ash told the royal with a smile, "come on, let's get you some new clothes, I doubt Dawn would be happy to see a mirror image of herself during our travels," Ash told Salvia with laughter.

"Okay Sir Ash, I will get some new clothes," Salvia said with a little less excitement. The two walked to the nearest shop that sold clothes.

"That brings me to condition number two, please stop being so formal, no need to call me Sir Ash, just call me Ash," Ash requested with a smile. "If you use formality, people will recognize you very easily," Ash instructed Salvia calmly while the walked into the shop.

Ash waited for Salvia to put on the new set of clothes that she had chosen from the selection, after a moment of waiting Salvia walked out of the change rooms with a pair of denim shorts, another white blouse an open black vest, a white and pink have with a pokeball design and black and red shoes, "So Sir Ash what do you think?" Salvia asked with a smile on her face.

"Why do I bother? I told you no formalities, but the outfit is good enough for now," Ash said trying to keep calm, Ash walked around to find Salvia a bag, "this back pack will do just fine, now time to pay for the clothes and the bag," Ash declared with a smile.

Salvia walked up to the front counter with her purse ready to be opened, "Alright I will pay for it," Salvia proclaimed with a smirk.

Ash walked in front of her to prevent her from paying the items with her money, "no, it would be better if I pay for the items, you're rich so paying this stuff with your money would make it easy for the guards and you parents to track you down," Ash told Salvia wisely.

They walked to the Pokemon Center after exiting the shop, "Ash, right we have a message for you," a pink haired woman in a nurses uniform said with a smile, "Professor Oak wants you to ring him as soon as possible," Nurse Joy told Ash with a smile.

Ash walked up to the phone and pressed the numbers in to call the professor, "hey professor, I heard you have a message for me," Ash said happily.

The elderly man nodded in approval with a smile, "yes Ash I do have a message for you, I have received a letter from your mother," Professor Oak pointed out, "it says you have been invited to the masters challenge, to enter you need to collect seventeen pins from the different pin masters in a full battle," Oak told Ash with a smile.

"So where do I get these pins from?" Ash asked with curiosity.

"It seems like you have to travel through all the regions to battle these masters, they will all specialize in all types of pokemon and you can start in any region you want," Oak told the young trainer with a smile.

"Send them a response, tell them I accept the masters challenge," Ash said with a smile.

"That's great news, after collecting the pins, there will be a tournament in an undisclosed location," the professor pointed out with a smile, "my Grandson will be partaking in this challenge as well, he says he wants to reignite his rivalry with you," Oak pointed out, Ash smiled at the news that Gary will be participating in the challenge as well.

Ash closed the call off and walked back to the table with Salvia. Salvia looked at Ash with a smile on her face, "so you will be in a masters challenge, I want to participate in the Pokemon Contest while I am learning about the ways of the world," Salvia told Ash after he had ordered the meal on the menu.

"Third condition we need to get you a starting pokemon, we will do that tomorrow," Ash directed calmly. "First we need to get some sleep, things will calm down tomorrow, oh an I think we need to give you a name, we can't be using your real name out in public places like this," Ash told the princess calmly.

"But Ash, what would I be called?" Salvia asked with a smile.

Ash thought for a moment until an idea popped into his head, "how about Sakura?" Ash asked with a smile.

Salvia thought for a moment as the new name, "so now that I have a new name for now, a new image, will that be enough to throw off my pursuers?" Salvia asked with a frown, "it isn't like this disguise will last forever you know, my dad and my mom will find out soon enough," Salvia said with a frown.

"Well Sakura, it will be enough for now to help you experience what life is like outside your palace, the sheltered life you once knew is behind you now," Ash told the princess calmly, "it's getting late, time to go to bed, the rooms aren't five star, but it is enough to help you get to sleep which is what you need, tomorrow I will help you capture a pokemon," Ash told the bluenette as they walked to their respective rooms.

Outside the Pokemon Center a mysterious man was standing on the roof of the building, "so the princess seeks a free life, yet her escape has opened the door for me to take the throne she will inherit," the man said with an evil laugh, "make sure to capture the princess alive, I need her as ransom for her mother and father to abdicate the throne, once I take power I will rule this region with an iron fist, first Sinnoh, then the world," the man said before jumping off the building.

"Sir, the royal guards are searching for the princess as we speak, they have broadened their search outside palace walls," one of the soldiers said with a salute.

The man let out a laugh as he started to walk out of the city, "so my brother is so concerned for my niece's wellbeing that he would start the search for her this early on, he doesn't realize that this situation is perfect for me," the man said as he was followed by his personal guards, "let her go for now, I don't want to create a scene so early in my plans," Salvia's uncle declared before disappearing into the night.

* * *

_(Eight hours later)_

It was early in the morning Ash was already awake waiting for the princess to walk out of the hall way, eventually she walked out of the hallway, Ash looked around to see the early morning rush, "Sakura, what took you so long, you want to travel, yet you take nearly all morning to get ready," Ash said with slight anger.

"Yes but Ash, I needed to make sure that my hair was perfect and my bag was packed," the bluenette said with a smile, "isn't it true that it is better to be prepared than not at all?" she asked with a smile.

"Sakura, I plan on starting the master's challenge in my home region of Kanto, but before we head there we need to get you a pokemon," Ash told the royal, "also, I will only use your real name when we aren't in public," Ash whispered before walking out of the Pokemon Center.

Salvia just stood there and thought about what Ash was doing, "Ash wait for me," Salvia called out to Ash before exiting the building. The two walked out of the city to a field containing pokemon of every type and shape, Salvia looked around for a moment, she looked around until she found a group of blue and white serpentine pokemon, "Dratini, I want that pokemon," Salvia proclaimed.

Ash walked up to the creature and got ready to battle it, "alright now that we are out of public eyes, I can call you by your real name, but remember this, your family will still be looking for you," Ash told the princess with a concerned look on his face, "so you want Dratini?" Ash asked with a confident look on his face, "alright I will battle it but I hope you know how to throw a pokeball," Ash said while handing a pokeball to Salvia, "Pikachu, use Volt Tackle," Ash commanded with vigor.

Pikachu charged up a powerful attack while charging at the small dragon type pokemon, the attack landed with great ferocity knocking the dragon back, Salvia watched as Ash battled the dragon type pokemon, 'amazing Sir Ash is doing everything he can to help me,' Salvia thought while watching the battlewith great intent, Salvia watched amazed at how well Ash and his pokemon were communicating, 'the battle is so exciting, I wonder will Ash teach me this sort of stuff?" Salvia thought while her focus remained on Ash.

"What? That's Dragon Pulse," Ash said with anger, Pikachu quickly dodged the attack, "nicely done buddy, now show them Iron Tail," Ash commanded with confidence, Pikachu charged at the small dragon type pokemon as his tail started to harden up, Pikachu slammed the steel type attack on the small pokemon pushing it back again.

'Amazing, Ash is in his area of expertise, I was wondering what a real pokemon battle would be like,' Salvia wondered while witnessing the intense battle between the trainer and a wild pokemon, 'Dratini looks really tired, from the looks of Ash's face he is getting ready to finish this battle off,' Salvia thought as she watched the battle.

"Pikachu, time to end this battle with Thunderbolt," Ash commanded with confidence, the electric mouse charged up for a powerful attack and unleashed a mighty blast of electricity on the tired dragon type, Ash turned his gaze back for a moment to Salvia who was holding onto the red and white device, "Saliva time to focus, throw that pokeball now, take aim, concentrate then throw," Ash instructed the princess with confidence, Salvia threw her pokeball accurately at the dragon type pokemon.

Ash watched the pokeball wobble while Salvia gulped as she waited for the moment until the pokemon was finally officially caught, the sound of the pokeball signaling a successful capture brought a broad smile onto the princess's face, "Yes I caught Dratini," Salvia celebrated happily.

Ash picked up the pokeball and handed it to the princess, "now you will need to take care of this pokemon," Ash told her with a smile.

Salvia happily took the pokeball from Ash and looked into his eyes, "thank you Ash, I really appreciate it," Salvia thankfully told Ash, "Ash, that battle was so good, can you teach me how to battle like that?" Salvia requested again.

"There she is," a female voice called out, Salvia turned around to find one of her maids looking for her.

"Salvia, they are going to chase us for a while, are you sure you want to travel with me, they aren't exactly going to forgive me if you travel with me," Ash said with a sigh, the guards and the maids got closer, "what a pain, might as well hand you in," Ash said with a grin. Salvia looked Ash with fear before he let out a laugh, "handing you in, well that was a joke," Ash said in laughter.

"Ash, please I want to see the world," Salvia requested with hope. Ash dropped his head for a moment and thought about what to do next. The people got closer and closer, Ash took Salvia's hand and they both started to run away for their next adventure.

"Fine you will see the world, but you need to stay with me while we travel," Ash said with a smile as the two ran away from the maids.

"Very well Ash you will be my knight," Salvia said happily while running side by side with Ash.

"Lady Salvia please get back here, your father is so worried!" the maid yelled out in concern.

"Tell my dad that I will come back safely, there is so much I want to see!" Salvia yelled back as she started to followed Ash to destination.

"Salvia, if I get into trouble for all of this," Ash started with anger before being silenced by the princess.

"I will take full responsibility, plus it was my idea in the first place," Salvia pointed out with a smile on her face, "I want to see your home region and all the other regions, I want to learn more about the Pokemon Contests, I want to see more of your battles Sir Ash," Salvia confessed with a smile.

"What have I told you about formality?" Ash asked in annoyance. The duo continued to run through the fields while running from the guards, "I told you not to call me Sir Ash, just call me Ash," Ash requested with slight anger.

Salvia burst out into laughter, "so we get to stay in fine hotels and eat at fine restaurants?" Salvia asked with a hopeful smile.

Ash looked at the young royal with a smirk on his face, "nope, there will be some nights where we will camp under the stars," Ash proclaimed much to Salvia's annoyance, "I take it you don't like the fact that camping under the stars?" Ash enquired with a cheeky smile.

"No not really Ash," Salvia pointed out with sadness.

"You will love it princess, the night sky is beautiful and plus I can cook meals for the both us and our pokemon," Ash stated happily, "I got an extra sleeping bag in case I had a traveling companion, it seems like you are the extra traveling companion," Ash explained with a grin on his face.

The duo slowed down when they realized they weren't being chased by the royal guards and maids, "alright I will do this camping thing, not sure what it is," Salvia submitted with concern, "your cooking better be of top quality as well," the royal demanded with a grimace.

"Oh come on Princess, I am not that bad, I have only cooked for myself and my pokemon, so cooking for an extra person wouldn't be so bad, plus as you would put, Sir Brock taught me how to cook," Ash said with laughter at the end of his sentence as the two laughed for a moment.

Salvia stopped laughing for a moment and looked at Ash, "Ash, I want to laugh many more times like that alright, I want to enjoy my adventure," Salvia declared with a grin on her face.

_(At the palace)_

"Sire, it seems like we have lost your daughter, she is traveling with a male companion about her age, wearing blue jeans, a white and blue jumper, a red and white hat with a blue pokeball design," one of the guards pointed out with shame.

The king let out a long sigh with the news that was presented to him, "why does my daughter want to see the world so badly, it is dangerous with my brother out there," the king said as he collapsed back into his throne, "I was only wanting her to be safe," the king said with a heavy feeling.

"Sire, what are your orders?" the guards asked, they waited as the king stood up with new confidence.

"We are to find and bring her back, I will be leading in the search, my wife will stay here and run our kingdom," the king said as he got ready to leave on his journey to find the princess.

Meanwhile outside the palace the kings brother was standing with thoughts of his plan rolling through his head, "soon brother, I will take the one which you hold most dear, your daughter, I will use her to wrest power from you," the kings brother said with a dark smile, "it should have been me that was to become king, but our father and mother denied me of my rightful place as king, now I will take it by force," the kings brother pointed out with a menacing laugh.

He watched as the gates of the palace opened up, four Rapidash charged out of the gates, "men, the time now to bring the princess home!" the king yelled out as they rode off in search of Salvia.

"Perfect he has left his kingdom wide open, but I will still bide my time still, there is no point attacking the queen, I must take the king, like in a game of chess," he said before walking away from the palace walls.

* * *

**I have changed Salvia's name as it is part of the story, her appearance will be that of Hilda's appearance from the games. Remember that she is traveling the world while on the run from her own family so a new identity and appearance will help her get around.**

**Alright the first chapter of what looks like will be a nice story, (very long story due to the master's challenge) has just began.**

**Will the king find and bring his daughter home? What of the kings Brother? And will Salvia learn what the real world is like?**

**Next time in this new story. Episode 2: Escape from Sinnoh**


	2. Escape from Sinnoh

**Episode 2: Escape from Sinnoh.**

_Alright I get it people like this story, so I have changed my mind on my previous promise I made earlier, this story will be one of my flagship stories, so that means that I will update frequently._

_Disclaimer: pokemon has never belonged to me._

* * *

_(Normal POV)_

Ash and Salvia had finally made it to the next road that headed towards Veilstone City, the gentle breeze whipped Salvia's hair around, the duo were totally unaware of the dark presence watching them from afar, the princess was happy to be out of the palace walls causing her to sing happily, Ash looked at the young royal with a smile as they continued their adventure on the road.

"You know Salvia, you have a nice singing voice," Ash told the princess with a smile, "I have heard my other fiends sing, but they all sounded terrible," Ash proclaimed with a grin.

Salvia stopped singing and turned around to see the road that she had left behind, "this is the furthest I have ever gone, most times I am in the confines of a carriage so I don't get to see much," Salvia pointed out with sadness. "Oh and thanks for the compliment Ash," Salvia said happily as she continued to look back.

Ash stood next to the princess as the wind continued to blow from the sea, "you know princess, if we don't hurry your father might catch up to us," Ash said with a frown.

"okay, let's go," Salvia said as she walked ahead leaving Ash to ponder his next plan, "Ash, hurry up," Salvia called to Ash as she stopped at the end of the road, Salvia let out a small smirk, "Sir Ash, if you don't hurry my dad will catch up to us," Salvia called out to Ash, Ash turned around annoyed that Salvia continued to persist with her manners again.

"Up ahead is Lake Valor, a rare pokemon is said to reside in the cavernon an island at the center of an island," Ash said, "the walk to Twinleaf Town will be five days, but there is a dangerous road from Lake valor that will cut the trip by three days," Ash said with a frown, "this would mean that would be missing the sights of Veilstone, Hearthome and we will enter Oreburgh City," Ash said after pointing to the lake.

"So, it would be safer if we traveled through the major cities?" Salvia enquired quietly.

The two continued to approach the lake front as a few trainers passed them by, Ash resisted in the use of his companions name while Pikachu sat perched on his master's shoulder, "do you want to see Lake Valor? If you are lucky we might get to see Azelf," Ash asked quietly as the entrance to the lake became more prominent.

"Yes Ash, I would like to see it," Salvia replied with a smile.

Ash and Salvia walked into the lake entrance, they looked around to see the crystal clear waters of the lake surrounded by lush green grass and tall trees with berries filling every part of the lower branches of the tree, Ash walked up to the trees and grabbed few berries, "here, you must be hungry," Ash said as he handed over a small berry, Salvia looked at it for a moment with slight disdain, "come on Salvia, it isn't like I am trying to poison you, those berries actually heal you of poison," Ash told Salvia who was now looking at the berry with intent, "not only does it heal you and pokemon of poison, it also tastes really good," Ash assured the princess before taking a bite of the berry, Ash opened one eye to watch Salvia take her first bite of the fruit.

Salvia finally bit down on the berry and started to chew it, eventually she swallowed the berry, after eating the small part of the berry she opened her eyes in surprise, "amazing, I have never eaten any like this before," Salvia confessed with great surprise, she started to take more bites of the fruit until it was all gone, "I never eat anything like this in the palace," Salvia professed with a frown.

Ash finish his berry before turning his gaze back to the young royal, "Salvia, you have just learned something new, but that is only one thing, there are many things in this world, some pleasant and some really scary, but that is all part of our evolution," Ash said wisely before sitting down on the grass, "Salvia, do you know what drives us?" Ash asked as Salvia sat down next to Ash.

"What is it?" Salvia asked with curiosity.

"Curiosity, we seek to find an answer for the questions we ask," Ash explained smartly, "your question is, what is outside the palace walls?" Ash pointed out quietly, "some of us find our answer straight away, but some people take their entire life to find an answer and still not find it, the truth is you took a step outside the palace walls in order to discover what the world is like, that's why I am letting travel with me," Ash explained much to the delight of Salvia.

Ash and Salvia watched the lake, waiting for the lake pokemon, eventually a sudden gust of wind picked up and a silhouette of a pokemon appeared in front of them, the two looked on in amazement, "another thing is Salvia, people search for legendary pokemon for their entire life, but most never get to see them, we are just a lucky couple of people," Ash said wisely before picking himself up, "well we better hurry, we spent enough time at Lake Valor," Ash said while starting to walk back to the entrance.

Salvia followed Ash to the lake entrance, they almost made it to the entrance before hearing the hooves of a, mysterious pokemon, the princess looked into the distance and spotted four Rapidash, "Ash, we better hide," Salvia instructed Ash.

Ash and Salvia jumped into the bush and spotted a powerful figure getting off the fire type pokemon, "Salvia, do you know these guys?" Ash asked quietly.

Salvia looked on quietly, "yes, the man in front is my father, the next three are his personal guards," Salvia explained quickly, "Ash, he will stay here for the next few days looking for me, he knows that we wouldn't make it too far from the palace," Salvia stated with a frown.

"Wow, you must mean a lot to your father," Ash said with a smile.

"Yes Ash, my dad is a great man, but he is overprotective, he never lets me outside the palace walls unless I am I a carriage," Salvia explained which caused Ash to let out a slight chuckle, "something funny Ash?" Salvia asked the trainer next to her.

"Overprotective, that suits my mom in every sense of the word," Ash confessed with a proud smile. The duo watched as the guards and the king continued to search the entire area, "seems like we have to find another way," Ash said as he pulled out a map of the region.

Salvia looked at the map to see if there was another road, "so Ash, where is the next best road?" Salvia asked with a smile while looking back up to a nervous Ash, "Ash, where is the next best road?" Salvia continued to ask while waving her hand in front of the trainer, 'this will annoy him,' Salvia thought, "Sir Ash, where is the next best road?" Salvia repeated her question.

Ash looked up quickly and placed the map back in his bag, "I told you to cut the formalities," Ash instructed with annoyance, "looks like we have to take the dangerous shortcut," Ash said while crawling away from the entrance of the lake, Salvia was close behind , the two crawled not trying to gather too much attention from the king.

Ash and Salvia picked themselves up and started to walk towards the path, "Ash, where are we going?" Salvia asked impatiently as she ran towards the shrubs of the area, Ash quickly grabbed her arm and pulled her back, "what was the meaning of that Ash?" Salvia asked in anger.

"Yeah, you're angry now, but you got a little careless, you almost fell to your death," Ash said while pointing Salvia to the sheer drop that she almost walked into, "Servine, I need your help," Ash called out a grass type pokemon, Ash approached a dangerous cliff face and looked across with concern, "seems like we have no choice, we have to cross this ravine," Ash declared while looking down to see the deadly drop, "Servine, we will follow, try to catch us if we start to fall," Ash instructed the grass type, Ash looked back towards a scared princess, "Salvia, trust me you will be fine," Ash told the royal calmly.

Salvia gulped for a moment as she looked at the cliff face, "Ash, if anything happens to me, my dad would never forgive you," Salvia said in fear.

"Somehow I don't think he will forgive me for letting travel with me," Ash said with slight sarcasm, "we will have to take it slowly, looks like this cliff face will crumble away at anytime," Ash said while trying to help Salvia onto the cliff face, "now princess, keep you back on the cliff face," Ash instructed quickly, "take the steps slowly and don't look down again," Ash commanded with assurance, Ash looked up to see the rocks at the top barely keeping its place, "Pikachu, you are to blast away any boulders that fall out way," Ash told the small yellow pokmeon before he stepped onto the cliff face.

Salvia continued to move one foot at a time, slowly but surely, "Ash, this is scary," Salvia pointed out as fear started to take hold, "now I see some of the dangers of the world," Salvia stated as she continued to move one foot at a time.

Ash watched as Salvia moved slowly, "you're doing just fine Salvia," Ash pointed out with a smile, Ash felt pieces of rubble fall on his shoulder, he looked up with his teeth gritting, "Pikachu, blast that rock away, Servine be ready to catch Pikachu," Ash instructed the his pokemon calmly.

Pikachu unleashed a mighty blast of electricity blasting the falling rock to pieces, Servine unleashed a mighty Vine Whip to grab Pikachu and prevent him from falling to his death, "nice team work," Ash compliment the two pokemon, Pikachu was safely placed on Ash's shoulder by Servine, "alright time to press on," Ash said calmly.

Ash quickly pulled the map out of his bag to have a look, "wow, this could take a while," Ash said with a sigh, Ash placed the map in his bag and continued to guide the princess to the other side of the ledge, "how are you going princess?" Ash asked the royal calmly.

"I am doing just fine Ash," Salvia replied with uncertainty, she continued to move her feet until one fell through a gap, she lost her footing and began to fall, with quick reflexes Servine caught the princess with a Vine Whip and slowly brought her back up to the ledge, "thanks, Servine," Salvia thankfully said to the grass type pokemon.

After the close call the two continued to shuffle across the cliff face with Ash now taking the lead for the next hour trying to keep from falling, the team work between Pikachu and Servine continued as a few more boulders fell towards them, Ash looked forward to see the end of the ledge was approaching, "Salvia, we are almost at the end of the dangerous part," Ash pointed out calmly.

Ash and Salvia had finally reached the end of the ledge, Ash made it to the safety first before extending his hand out to Salvia, "that was close Ash," Salvia sad while taking the trainers hand, she jumped off the cliff face and onto safe soil, "okay where to next?" Salvia asked calmly.

The two walked on the more stable land with Pikachu and Servine following close behind, Ash took out his map again to see where the next part of the path will take them, "seems like there is a bridge not too far from here, that should lead us near Oreburgh City," Ash pointed out calmly as the duo continued to walk.

After looking around, the sun started to lower across the sky, "Ash, the sun is starting to set," Salvia pointed towards the sun.

Eventually Ash and Salvia made it to the bridge, Ash put his foot on the bridge while Servine, jumped onto the ropes holding the bridge up, "Seems like it will only hold one person at a time, I will go first, you follow after me," Ash instructed the bluenette as he started to cross the rickety bridge, "Pikachu, you stay here with the princess," Ash told his trusty pokemon.

Salvia watched while Ash slowly walked across the bridge, she watched in horror as one of Ash's feet ploughed through a piece of wood, "Ash, I am coming to help you," Salvia called out in concern.

"Stay where you are, I will be fine, Servine can you help me out?" Ash asked his pokemon while telling Salvia to stay at her end of the bridge, Servine helped Ash up from the hole that he was in and allowed him to start walking again, Ash finally made it to the other end of the bridge, "Servine, go to the princess," Ash instructed the grass snake pokmeon, "Alright Salvia now it's your turn to cross!" Ash called over to Salvia.

Pikachu climbed on her shoulder as she took her first step on the old bridge, Servine made it to the royal's side as she slowly crossed the bridge, "alright take one step at a time," Salvia told herself quietly while the two pokemon were watching to make sure she was safe. She continued to walk at a safe speed to make sure that the bridge didn't collapse from under her, she started to sweat as she started to get nervous, 'never knew going on adventures could be this dangerous,' Salvia thought as she continued to get ever closer to the other end of the rickety bridge.

Ash watched quietly and as nervous as the princess, but he was showing some pride in the courage the princess showed while crossing, "that's it Salvia, keep going," Ash encouraged her as much as possible, Servine made it to safe land as Salvia got closer, suddenly the euphoria of crossing the bridge was ended when the other end of the bridge started to break apart, the rope holding the bridge up snapped, "Servine, hurry help the princess and Pikachu out," Ash instructed the grass type pokemon.

Salvia and Pikachu were caught by a vine each of Servine, Servine struggled to keep a hold of Salvia and Pikachu, she was about to let go of the vines due to the exhaustion, but Servine's will prevented her from giving up, this will in turn caused the grass type to glow pure white, she grew longer and gained an even more serpentine shape, eventually the glowing stopped and ready to save Salvia and Pikachu was Ash's new pokemon, "Serperior, use Vine Whip to save Salvia and Pikachu," Ash instructed his newly evolved pokemon.

Serperior unleashed a mighty set of vines to save the falling friends, the vines caught the scared duo and started to help them get up from what seemed like certain death, "Thanks Serperior," Salvia thankfully told the grass type pokemon, Salvia walked up to Ash with a smile on her face, "that was close," Salvia said with a smile before walking ahead, Ash returned Serperior as Pikachu climbed on his shoulder.

"Slavia, time to set up the tents, we won't get to Oreburgh City tonight," Ash told the royal calmly, "It would also give me a good chance to teach you how to set up a tent," Ash said as he rolled out two folded tents, "now the first thing you need to do is to unfold it obviously," Ash said with laughter, "the next part is to follow the instructions, you don't do that then you won't have a tent," Ash told the young lady while she listened with great focus.

Ash expertly set up his tent and made sure it was sturdy, it was until Salvia started to get frustrated with the setup of her tent, "that's it I give up, this is too hard!" Salvia yelled in frustration. Ash walked up to Salvia and started to help her pitch her tent, "Ash, you're going to help me out?" Salvia asked with curiosity.

Ash let out a quick smile, "of course, I can't have one of my friends sleeping in the cold tonight," Ash replied with a grin, "just watch what I do and follow exactly," Ash instructed calmly. Ash and Salvia worked together raising the tent until it was sturdy enough for use, "now you stay here I am going to get some wood for a fire," Ash instructed calmly as he left the princess alone with Pikachu.

Salvia sat on a log ad thought about the danger she was put through all because she wanted to experience what the real world was like, "my journey has just began and I almost died twice, but it seems like Ash will be there to help me out, I wonder if his other friends will be there when we need them?" Salvia asked while thinking out loud.

Ash walked around finding wood for the planned fire, "she is so naïve but she is willing to learn," Ash said calmly before turning around to walk back to the camp.

Ash walked back into the camp, he spotted Salvia sitting on a log, "seems like you're comfortable," Ash pointed out in laughter as he set up a circle of rocks, "so Salvia, do you know how to start a campfire?" Ash asked calmly while looking over his shoulder, Salvia shook her head looking puzzled by the question that Ash presented her, "I take your expression as a no," Ash said as he signaled for the princess to watch.

"Ash, before we go any further, I would just like to ask, have we really began our adventure yet?" Salvia asked with a smile while Ash was starting to rub the sticks together, "I mean, you said you wanted to do the master's challenge but you haven't done anything yet to earn a pin for the master's challenge," Salvia pointed out while smoke started to rise from the sticks. The princess watched as Ash blew trying to get the fire to start.

Ash picked sat up and looked back towards the royal, "No we haven't began our journey yet, we will begin our journey in the Kanto region," Ash confessed as he pulled out a few berries from his bag, "before we crossed the ravine I grabbed a few different berries, we should try roasting them, the flavors are awesome, one of my friends taught me many ways to eat berries," Ash confessed with a smile, he placed a few large berries on a large stick and placed in in the fire.

Salvia looked at Ash again, "how many friends do you have Ash? I know you think of me as a friend," the princess enquired with a smile.

Ash sat down on the log and started to count his friends on his hand, "well there is Dawn and Brock, but there is also May and Drew who are great coordinators from Hoenn, Paul, Gary, Trip, Barry and Bianca who are my rivals, Cilan and Iris from the Unova region and the pokemon I caught from the different regions," Ash replied with a proud grin, "what about you Salvia, do you have any friends outside the palace walls apart from Dawn, Brock and me?" Ash asked quietly.

Salvia looked down to the ground with a little disappointment, "no, you three are my only friends," Salvia said with sadness, "do you think I will make more friends?" Salvia asked with a hopeful smile.

Ash nodded his head before looking up to the night sky, "princess, the world has many people in it, from different regions, different ideals, but they all share one thing," Ash said while looking at the night sky.

Salvia looked up amazed at the stars twinkling in the sky, "what do these people share?" Salvia asked quietly while turning her gaze back to Ash.

"The same sky, the curiosity and the drive to succeed," Ash pointed out with a grin, "my goal is to win the master's challenge, what is your goal?" Ash enquired while looking at the fire.

"I want to win the Grand Festival, winning one contest I felt like it wasn't enough," Salvia confessed with a smile, Salvia looked up to the night sky and saw a shooting star, "I can't believe how relaxing the night sky is," Salvia pointed out as the stars glowed brightly while the two were eating the roasted berries, "you might not have cooked, but you know you're very smart Ash," Salvia complimented before standing up to get into her tent.

Ash followed the same idea, the two climbed into their sleeping bags and started to get some sleep, "she still has a lot to learn," Ash said while going to sleep.

_(Eight hours later)_

Ash was awake but this time he was surprised to find the princess was awake before him, "wow Salvia, you woke up before me?" Ash asked with a smile.

She nodded with a frown, "Ash, that was the worst, the ground was so hard, how can you sleep on a bed like that," Salvia asked the trainer while they were packing their equipment.

"It takes a bit of time to get used to it, I used to hate camping but after years of doing it, camping no longer bothers me," Ash said while packing the camp gear into his bag.

Ash and Salvia started to walk towards the next city, "Salvia, we are just going to walk through, I don't really want to spend too much time in the Sinnoh region while we are being chased by your father," Ash pointed out calmly, "once we reach the city I will call you by your alias, Sakura alright," Ash proclaimed calmly. "We should reach Twinleaf Town by the end of the day, meaning we will get the ship just in time," Ash declared confidently.

Ash and Salvia walked through the city with great pace not stopping to do some shopping, "Ash, when will the ship leave?" the young bluenette asked quietly.

"Well, Sakura if we keep going with the pace we are right now we will be there in plenty of time, plus we can rest a bit because your father in on the other side of the region," Ash pointed out proudly.

The young royal shook her head for a moment, "Ash, you underestimate my father, he doesn't give up, surely he will be closer than you think," she said with a laugh.

Ash listened to the nervous laugh of the princess, "geez Sakura, I just hope that we don't bump into him," Ash said with anger, "it would be a real pain if your dad was to take you home before you complete your travels and before you compete in the grand festival," Ash said with a smirk.

"I know, but he will not sleep until I am home safely," the bluenette said with a smile, "so that could mean that my Dad would be in another town or city by now," the young lady said with a smile.

"Really? Then we better hurry to the next city which is about three hours walk from here," Ash pointed out calmly, "wait I have a better idea, let's go to the pokemon Center, should have done this earlier," Ash professed with slight anger pointed to himself.

Ash and Salvia walked into the Oreburgh Pokemon Center and placed their pokemon in the care of Nurse Joy, "Ash, isn't that the Nurse Joy from Sunnyshore City?" Salvia asked with curiosity, Ash burst out into laugher with the question that the young royal asked him.

"No, this Nurse Joy is the sister of the one in Sunnyshore, funny thing is every Nurse Joy in the Kanto, Hoenn, Sinnoh and Johto region all look the same, but the ones in Unova look different but they are similar to each other," Ash pointed out as the nurse nodded with a smile, "our friend Brock always used to hit on them constantly, this always resulted in him being dragged by his ears from Misty and Max or poison jabbed by his Croagunk," Ash said with a chuckle.

"Your pokemon are just fine," Nurse Joy explained with a smile.

Ash walked up to the phone to call the professor again, "Hey professor, I am calling to see if you can send over two of my flying type pokemon, I am thinking of Charizard and Salamence," Ash requested with a smile.

"Alright they should be there in a moment," Professor explained calmly as he placed the two pokeballs on the teleport device.

Ash received the pokemon and thanked the professor, "tell mom that I will be home to see her tomorrow," Ash explained before the call was cut off.

"Ash, do you have what you need?" Salvia asked with a grin, Ash showed her the two pokeballs before walking to the pokemon center entrance, "what are those pokemon for?" Salvia asked with a puzzled look on her face.

Ash called out the two powerful pokemon, they stretched out their large wings, "we need a set of wings, we can get the early ship, this something I should have done earlier," Ash said with an embarrassed smile on his face while scratching his head.

Ash climbed onto Salamence's back, "Ash, I am not sure this is safe," Salvia said with fear.

"It's alright Sakura, I trust these pokemon, they have gotten me out of tough situations before and the flight will only be for about ten minutes since these two are my fastest flyers," Ash pointed out with a proud smile, the two took off into the sky while Salvia barely held onto Charizard, "Oh I forgot to warn you, hold on tight," Ash said with a smile as the flew over the fields and into the skyline of Jubilife City.

'Wow, this is faster, why didn't Ash do this before?' Salvia asked in thought, she looked down and spotted her father in the city, "Ash, my father has traveled pretty far in just one night, he is famous for being a quick traveler," Salvia pointed out.

They eventually flew passed the city and out towards the Twinleaf Town, the flight had taken no longer than fifteen minutes for them to complete, it wasn't long until they reached the small port town of Twinleaf Town, "alright Sakura, are you ready to board the ship?" Ash asked the princess quietly, she nodded in response, "good," Ash said before walking up to the ticket booth, "can I have a cabin with two rooms please?" Ash requested calmly before paying for the tickets.

"The next ship will leave in twenty minutes," the ticket master explained before handing the tickets to Ash.

Ash returned the pokemon and gave one of the tickets to Salvia, "Ash, I know we sort of rushed the last part of the trip, but I am ready to take on new challenges in my journey," Salvia confessed with certainty.

Salvia looked back to see her father had ridden into the small town, "so my young daughter, you made it this far, now you will return home with me," the king said as he signaled his guards to surround us, "I don't who you are young man, but you had no right to kidnap my daughter," the king said in anger.

"Dad, I went on my own free will and I will travel the world, I am going to experience danger, I am going to make friends and I will learn what is out there," Salvia declared as she took Ash's hand and dragged him onto the ship, "he didn't kidnap me, he is helping me learn about the world," Salvia confessed with a proud smile.

Ash and Salvia quickly got onto the ship as the gang planks was slowly raised, "sorry about this Salvia's dad, but she has made up her mind," Ash said with a smile while waving at a now very angry king.

"Dad I will return home safely," Salvia declared while waving at her father.

The ship took off leaving the king to ponder what to do next, "we will take the ship tomorrow, we need to rest up," he told the guards calmly trying to keep his emotions in check, "there is no telling what my brother has in store for those two," he said with sadness, 'I guess I have to trust that young man until I reach his region,' he said while getting off his Rapidash.

Meanwhile on another boat was the king's brother following the ship after it reached the sea, 'very soon my brother, I will have everything I ever wanted,' Salvia's uncle thought to himself, "but that trainer that's with her could be a lot of trouble, I better deal with him before he makes a habit of being a nuisance," he said as he followed the ship.

* * *

**Another chapter down in this story, with the king going as far as to chase them all night to bring his daughter home with him. There will be many more dangers in the journey to come and many more lessons for Princess Salvia to learn.**

**The Master's challenge will begin very soon, who will Ash's team be during the challenge? And what pokemon will Salvia capture during her journey?**

**Next time Episode 3: Enter the Kanto Region**


	3. Enter the Kanto Region

**Episode 3: Enter the Kanto Region.**

_I love libraries, even one that is 20 km from where you live, I took my half finished chapter and finished it there, stored it on my hard drive and uploaded it on a borrowed laptop. The new enemy will reveal itself at the end, with the romance side if things in this story, I want to build it up sort of starting in this chapter._

_Disclaimer: Pokemon doesn't belong to me._

* * *

It had been a few hours since the ship had set sail from the Sinnoh region, Ash was in his room waiting for the princess to appear from her room, the door opened to reveal Salvia wearing her formal attire much to Ash's annoyance, she smiled as she was now outside the Sinnoh boarders for the first time in her life, she danced around as the with the dress swaying around, her smile bright and the joy she was experiencing was never ending. Ash couldn't take his eyes of the young royal who was laughing and dancing around the room.

Ash placed his head in his palms mostly out of frustration at Salvia's actions, "Salvia, do you really need to do that?" Ash asked with a frown as the princess walked to the door of their cabin, "Hey where are you going?" Ash asked as he ran to the door trying to stop the princess from going to far, but it was too late Salvia was already halfway down the hall way, "Princess, get back here!" Ash yelled out in anger, he picked up the keys to the room, "oh great, now I have to deal with an overjoyed princess, this is turning out to be a real drag," Ash sighed while locking the door.

Ash quickly followed the princess down to the ballroom, there were people dancing everywhere, "Ash, come on, you need to lighten up," Salvia said with a smile, as she walked around the tables to look for the best food.

"We don't have the time to play around Salvia," Ash told the young royal with annoyance.

Salvia took Ash's hand and dragged him to the dance floor, "Ash don't go, I want to celebrate my newly found freedom, the only one I can celebrate with is you, how about a dance just between friends," Salvia requested with a smile.

"Salvia, I hate to break it to you, but I can't dance, when I was invited to a dance with Dawn, I stepped on her toes constantly," Ash confessed with a grimace, but the princess wasn't taking it in, she was too happy about her escape from the Sinnoh region, "hey, I told you princess that I have zero clue when it comes to dancing," Ash said as he broke the grip of Salvia.

"Come on Ash, you might have gotten better since then, how long ago was it?" Salvia enquired with curiosity.

"I think about three months ago," Ash said before walking off the dance floor, but before he got off the floor, Salvia grabbed his hand, "Salvia, I am tired I need some sleep," Ash pointed out but the princess was showing no interest in Ash's excuse.

"Ash, it is time I taught you something," Salvia said calmly while she placed her hand on his right shoulder and her other hand grasping his left hand, "now Ash, place you free hand on my waist," Salvia Instructed the trainer, Ash hesitated since he knew that the king wouldn't approve of the dance, "Ash, how do you expect to learn anything if you hesitate or don't listen?" Salvia enquired, she took her hand off his shoulder and pushed his hand onto her waist before returning her hand to the original position.

"Princess, I don't know about this," Ash said feeling a little uncomfortable.

Salvia let out a quick smile before getting into the rhythm, "Ash, we are friends right? So I trust you," Salvia pointed out with a grin, "now Ash, follow my movements," Salvia instructed as the two started to dance in the middle of the floor, Ash followed the movements while making sure he didn't step on the princess's feet, "another thing, when dancing with your partner keep eye contact, the more you worry about making a mistake the higher the chance of you making a mistake," Salvia pointed out enjoying the dance with Ash.

Ash lifted his head up and was getting into the rhythm of the dance until he made the first mistake of stepping on Salvia's toes, "I told you I was bad," Ash said in an upset manner before starting to walk off.

Salvia tightened the grip on Ash's hand and pulled him back, "Not tonight Ash, if you make a mistake you can always learn from it, dancing is no different," Salvia pointed out wisely, "how about this Ash? I will make a deal with you, you show me what the world has to offer and I will become your tutor," Salvia enquired quietly as she forced Ash back into the dance with her, "but that is only providing that we are still friends," Salvia decreed happily.

Ash nodded without smiling, "but what can you teach me Princess?" Ash asked calmly as he started to improve in his rhythm.

"Oh I will find something, like I have found out you can't dance, so I will teach you," Salvia pointed out in laughter, Ash dropped his head in disbelief after finding out that the princess was going to be his tutor, "oh and one more thing, I thought in public places you were going to call me Sakura, but you have been using my real name," Salvia pointed out with a grin.

"No, force of habit, don't believe this now people are going to tell your father," Ash said in anger directed at himself.

"Ash people weren't taking notice, they were too busy enjoying themselves, you're too serious when it comes to the job, that you employed yourself in," Salvia stated calmly, "I would much rather you use my real name, also please stop being so formal, just call me Salvia, not princess and definitely not her royal highness later on," Salvia requested happily as they continued the dance.

"Alright I will use your real name and I will not be so formal," Ash submitted quietly. Ash started yawning and broke away from the dance, he walked out of the ballroom and straight to the deck to look at the night sky, 'now I have to deal with the fact she is going to be my tutor,' Ash thought to himself as he spotted a boat floating near the ship, "odd, who would be crazy enough to follow this ship this close?" Ash wondered as he turned around.

As he walked to the hallway Princess Salvia was making her way to the railings of the ship to look at the night sky, "Ash, can I talk to you for a moment?" Salvia asked in a more serious tone.

"Sure, but what is it that you need to tell me?" Ash asked in reply, Ash walked up to the railing and stood next to Salvia.

"Ash, my father has no ill intent, he's just protecting me from one danger that he fears the most, my uncle," Salvia confessed with sadness.

"What do you mean?" Ash asked nervously as he looked at the princess nervously.

Salvia gulped for a moment and thought about the stories her father told her, "my uncle is a bitter individual, when my dad and uncle were kids they used to compete in all things, pokemon battles, chess, Go, racing, boxing and even wrestling, my dad always used to win," Salvia pointed out with a frown, "he was older than my dad but was still overlooked for the crown because he lacked the leadership skills to run the kingdom, he was also known as a gambler so my grandparents didn't want to take that chance," Salvia pointed out calmly.

The cold winds started to pick up causing Salvia to shiver slightly, "come on Salvia, we need to get some sleep, tomorrow will be a big day, I start my journey for the master's challenge," Ash pointed out calmly as he walked to hall way again.

Salvia followed Ash to the cabin, "one more thing Ash, you're a natural dancer, you need to think positive and not worry about the mistakes you make," Salvia told Ash happily.

Ash and Salvia walked into their cabin and to their individual rooms, Pikachu was asleep on Ash's bed, Ash jumped onto the bed and instantly fell asleep. While Ash was asleep, Salvia opened the door slightly, "he has no idea how to sleep on a nice bed," Salvia whispered as she walked up to the bed and placed the blanket over Ash, she walked back to her room silently, 'good night Sir Ash,' Salvia thought with a smile.

_(In the Sinnoh Region)_

The King and his men had finished resting in their camp ad started to walk towards the dock to take the ship to follow Salvia and Ash, "I know that Salvia will inherit this pokemon, it has been a great help," the king said while calling out a large grey and blue pokemon, "Latios, the symbol of our kingdom, you have helped me out, but it seems that we were too late, my daughter left for another region," the king told the legendary pokemon with sadness.

"Excuse me, can we get five separate rooms for our trip to the Kanto region?" one of the guards asked the ticket seller, the guard paid for the ticket and walked up to the king, "sire, the trip will start in thirty minutes," the guard told the king.

"Soon I will be bringing my daughter home from this madness," the king said with anger as he walked up to the boat. As he was walking up to the ship one of the guards whispered into his ear, "what? My brother is following them to the Kanto region?" he said in shock.

"Sire, we won't get to the Kanto region until later tonight, it seems like he is ahead of us by about a day," the guard said in concern, "some of our pokemon are too tired to even fly, we need to take the ship and rest further," the guard told his king.

The king looked down to the ground, "I don't believe this, his jealousy is going to give him the throne, what am I supposed to do, my daughter is off with some commoner in another region," the king said with sorrow, "that man doesn't stand a chance against my brother, there has to be some way we can save both of them," the king said in concern.

Two of the guards walked up the gangplank, "Sire, he isn't really interested in the other guy, he is out to blackmail you to abdicating the throne by kidnapping the princess," the guard pointed out while getting ready to board the ship.

The king walked to his room and sat down on the bed, 'I never thought my daughter would get so far, she is so determined to see the world, I guess holding her back was nothing but a mistake,' the king thought to himself with clenched fists, 'that man has done something that I was never able to do, take my daughter on an adventure,' the king continued to think.

The king continued to sit on his bed, the door knocked, "come on in," the king requested, the door opened revealing one of the guards, "what is it?" the king asked promptly.

"Sire, we have received reports that the princess's ship has docked in a small town, called Pallet Town," the guard said promptly. "No doubt your brother is there as well waiting for the chance to strike," the guard pointed out as the king punched the bed, he got up and walked to the hallway, "sire, we need to think with a clear mind, the princess has been preparing for a journey for a long time," the guard pointed out quietly.

The king turned around and glared at the guard, "if she wanted to go out and see the world I would have given her the best guards, but now she is being shown the world by a person who has no training what so ever!" the king yelled at the guard before punching the wall next to him, "once I bring her back I will make her release any pokemon she captures and forget about everything she learned from the common trainer," the king said in a furious rage.

The guard looked down in sadness, 'sire, that would be a mistake, you're slowly becoming what your brother has become, I understand that your daughter means everything to you, but she has to face the challenges of the world, this trip with a common trainer will be the best thing for her,' the guard thought to himself as he walked out of the room.

The king walked onto the deck and started to think about what the last three days have been like for him, "am I losing my touch?" the king asked himself, he looked up to the morning sky and continued to see the, "I lost my temper, I have always been taught by mom and dad to rule with generosity and to protect the ones that I love," the king told himself as he looked at an old picture of him and his brother, "how did it come to this my brother?" he asked with sorrow.

The guards watched as the king looked on from the railings of the ship with concern etched on their face, "what we do sir?" one of the guards asked his superior officer, "the king is feeling down, his brother is after his daughter so he can blackmail him into abdicating the throne," he pointed out with a frown.

"Well the princess is his only child and heiress to the throne, he is only concerned for her safety," the high ranking guard told his friend, "the princess understands that, but for her to rule effectively she needs to see the world with her own eyes, like I did before I became a high ranking guard," he said with a smile.

_(In the Kanto region)_

Ash woke up with a blanket over him, he looked around to see Pikachu awake from the good night sleep he had, "alright Salvia, time to head out to meet my pokemon, my mom and some of my friends," Ash called out to Salvia but there was no response, "Salvia," Ash called out repeatedly, he walked up to her bedroom door and knocked on it, "Salvia, are you there?" Ash asked while knocking on the door, while he was knocking the door flung open, he peered in only to find that she wasn't there, "you have to be kidding me!" Ash yelled as he grabbed his stuff and rushed out of the door.

Just as he exited the room, he ran into the princess who was holding a plate of pancakes, "Ash, I was only getting some breakfast, here take these you must be hungry," Salvia said with a smile while handing the trainer a plate of food, "we docked a little while ago, so when are we going to start our journey?" Salvia asked with a hopeful smile.

Ash finished eating the first pancake and looked up to the princess for a moment, "Once we walk off the ship and I pick my six pokemon for my challenge," Ash promised while preparing to place another pancake in his mouth. After finishing the pancakes Ash placed the plate on the table and started to grab his gear, "thanks for the breakfast Salvia," Ash thanked the princess with a smile.

The two left their cabin and walked down the hallway, Salvia looked around to see that they had docked in a small town with an expanse of green fields dotted with small houses with red roofs, "this town is so peaceful, much smaller than Sunnyshore City," Salvia pointed out with a smile, "what is this town called?" Salvia asked as she looked up to a smiling Ash.

"This is Pallet Town, I have lived here since I was little, I started my journey here when I was ten, I have caught many different pokemon from the different regions," Ash professed with a proud smile, "this quaint little town is also the home of the regional professor, he goes by the name of Professor Oak, his lab is very easy to find, right I the middle of the town on a large hill with a paddock behind it with pokemon running around, thirty of which are my Tauros," Ash said with laughter at the end.

The duo walked along the streets not knowing that they were being spied upon, "sir, I have spotted the princess, she is with some common trainer, do you want me to approach them?" the dark figure asked as he pulled out a pokeball.

"Keep an eye on them, when they are in an area where there is no one watching commence the attack," the voice on the other end ordered the man.

The mysterious figure placed his pokeball back in his pack as started to follow the two, 'very soon, we will reveal ourselves to you princess,' the man thought to himself while keeping out of sight.

Ash showed Salvia around the small town pointing to the land marks that dotted Pallet Town, "Over there is my old school, I attended the pokemon school for five years before I became a trainer, my rival got the best grades and I got the worst, but I still ended up being a better trainer than him," Ash said with a proud smile.

Eventually Ash showed the princess the farming area of the town, Salvia looked around with surprise, seeing farmers harvesting their crops, "There are so many farms and pokemon that I have never seen before," Salvia said in amazement.

"Hi Ash, how have journeys been for you?" one of the farmers asked with a smile.

Ash waved back with a smile, "my journeys have been great Frank, I have just come back to prepare for the Master's Challenge," Ash said enthusiastically.

Frank turned back to do more of the work, "you better head home, your mom is worried sick about you, she said you haven't called in two months, never knew you were that cold Ash," Frank pointed out in laughter.

"I was going to call her yesterday, but I was hanging on for dear life the day before," Ash said with a smile, "thanks for the heads up Frank, I will go to see mom now," Ash told the farmer before walking towards his home.

"He seems like a nice person Ash," Salvia said with a smile, "and what is this about not calling your mother for two months?" Salvia asked as she looked at Ash with disappointment.

"Well I forgot to call her," Ash said while scratching the back of his head, Salvia glared at Ash for a moment, "hey don't look at me that way, aren't you going to call you mom and dad?" Ash ask the princess with a smirk.

"I will call my mom, but for dad I will be seeing him as our travels progress," Salvia said with a smile, "I told you he doesn't give up easily, the reason why he moved so fast is because of Latios," Salvia pointed out with a smile.

"Come on really? You mean your dad has a legendary pokemon?" Ash question in frustration as they reached the gate of a small house with a red roof.

Salvia burst out into laughter as they walked up to a small house, "yep Latios and Latias are the symbols of our family, Dad inherited them when he married my mom, just like I will inherit them when my time comes," Salvia pointed out with a smile as she watched Ash knock on the door of the house, "maybe no one is home Ash," Salvia pointed out with a smile.

"Five, four, three, two, one," Ash counted down and as if on cue a woman with brown hair wearing a white blouse and a purple dress opened the door and looked angrily at Ash, "hi mom, nice to see you again," Ash said nervously.

"It has been two months mister; you better have a good excuse for not calling me!" Ash's mothers yelled at Ash, Delia looked up to see a young woman with long blue hair, "so Ash is this your new girlfriend?" Ash's mom asked with a cheeky smile.

"Mom, no she isn't my girlfriend, she is a friend!" Ash yelled back in anger.

Salvia looked as Ash tried to respond without embarrassing himself but that wasn't work, she walked up to Delia and bowed in front of her, "I am Princess Salvia, of the kingdom in Sinnoh," Salvia politely introduced herself.

Delia jumped back after hearing that she was a royal, "my word such manners, too bad my son doesn't have half the manners you have," Delia said with a smile, "oh where are mine? I am Ash Ketchum's mother Delia," the brunette introduced herself warmly.

"So nice to meet the mother of Ash, he is such a brave man," Salvia said with a smile, "you must be very proud of him," Salvia politely stated with a grin.

"And so modest too, oh come in, I will cook you two some lunch, might not be of the high quality that you're use to princess, but it's good enough," Delia declared as she allowed the duo and Pikachu in, 'my son is now bringing home princess's now,' Delia thought with a giggle, she walked into the kitchen, she looked around to find that Salvia wasn't in the dining room, "Ash, where is the princess?" Delia asked with a smile.

"She is getting cleaned up mom," Ash replied with a smirk, "we have been on the run since she ran away from her palace in the Sinnoh region," Ash confessed calmly, "I was going to call a couple of days ago but now I know I would have been in for the same as today, you yelling at me," Ash said with laughter.

Delia walked up to the stove and started to cook lunch, she listened to every word of Ash's revisits of regions to capture new pokemon and training of some of his older pokemon, "oh that reminds me, I received a letter from the Pokemon League Headquarters, they are inviting you to the Master's Challenge," Ash's mother declared with a proud smile.

"Yes mom, I know Professor Oak gave me a call, three days ago," Ash confessed quietly as he continued to drink his cup of tea, "I have to beat seventeen type masters in order to obtain their pins, then after that, the master's tournament," Ash pointed out with a smile he was confident that he would beat them and win the master's tournament.

After Ash had explained the plans to win the Master's challenge, the princess walked into the kitchen and sat next to Ash, "Ash, the shower is all yours," Salvia explained calmly, "you might want to use extra soap, because you smell pretty bad," Salvia declared with a smirk.

Delia let out a giggle as she watched Ash walk away from the kitchen red faced from Salvia's comments, "don't forget to change your underwear," Delia called to Ash, upon hearing that Salvia burst out into laughter, she laughed so hard she fell on the ground with tears rolling down her face.

Salvia eventually picked herself up after the fit of laughter and sat back down, she was now more composed than a few moments ago but still struggling to hold back her laughter, "you know how to embarrass him, does he ever lose his composure afterwards?" the princess asked with a grin.

"He gets too embarrassed to do anything princess," Delia confessed while trying to hold back some laughter, "but he does make me very proud, he does his best no matter what," Delia confessed with a smile, "he is just like his father, proud, very compassionate and both very good trainers," Delia professed with proudly.

"He is also very brave, and very smart too," Salvia pointed out another of Ash's qualities.

"I wouldn't go as far as smart, he did flunk in mathematics and writing oh and I can't forget reading," Delia explained a few of Ash's weaknesses, "but he is a very good artist," Delia explained with a smile while holding out a small folder of some of Ash's art works.

Salvia flipped through the pages and saw some amazing bits of work, "amazing, he never told me he could draw," Salvia explained while looking at more bits of art, "don't worry Lady Delia, I will teach Ash how to write, read and do mathematics, after all I will be his tutor," Salvia decreed with a sly smile as Delia started laughing.

"You are going to become Ash's teacher?" Delia asked while holding back her laughter, "good luck on that, the teachers said he was un-teachable," Delia confessed as the heard the footsteps coming from the top floor.

Ash walked down the steps and sat down on his seat, the food was served and the two ate peacefully, Pikachu ate his food happily, Ash grabbed some salt and pepper to give his food some extra taste, "wow mom, your food is just amazing," Ash said appreciatively.

Salvia sat there quietly and ate her food politely, "wow Lady Delia, this food is great, you should be working at my palace," Salvia decreed with a smile, Delia smiled with embarrassment while Salvia picked up her plate and took it over to the sink, Ash followed soon after, "you know I think this town is amazing," Salvia confessed with a smile as small flying type pokemon flew through the air.

Ash opened the door and walked out to sit in the yard to think about what challenges he will face in the future, Ash pet his partner pokemon on the head and looked up, "you know buddy, my biggest challenge is having to keep up with the princess," Ash said with laughter, "it is almost time to see our other pokemon and to choose my team," Ash pointed out as he picked himself up, he walked over to the gate and got ready to leave for the professor's lab.

Salvia walked out of the house with her hands on her hips, "Ash, were you planning on leaving me here?" Saliva asked in anger while walking up to Ash, "I want to see your pokemon, I am sure you have lots of them," the princess wondered.

"Fine, let's go," Ash said with a sigh.

Delia walked up to Ash and handed him his bag, "Ash, don't forget to change underwear everyday, call me when you have the chance, I want to know how your travels are going," Delia said as Salvia giggled at Ash who was being embarrassed by his mother again.

Ash started walking but Salvia took the chance to bow to his mother to express her gratitude, "thanks for having us, Lady Delia," Salvia politely said as she ran back to Ash's side.

"Such a polite young woman," Delia told herself with a grin, "she might teach Ash a few things after all," Delia told herself while watching her son and the princess walking towards the professor's lab.

Ash and Salvia commenced their travels to the lab which wasn't too far from his home, "Ash, your mom is such a wonderful person," Salvia explained happily.

The two walked on down the street until a large pokemon attacked them from behind, Ash and Salvia turned around to see a large steel type pokemon, "Steelix, seems like we aren't popular," Ash explained in annoyance, "Salvia, the lab isn't far from here, go there now, I will defeat this trainer," Ash ordered the princess calmly.

A mysterious man wearing a hooded trench coat walked up to the duo, "princess, time for you to come with me, your uncle wants to say hello," the man explained laughing, in response Ash placed his arm in front of Salvia to protect her, "seems like you want to save her, but you won't be doing the saving once I beat you into the ground," the man declared as he clicked his fingers.

"Salvia, go to the professor's lab, I will defeat this guy," Ash told the princess with increasing anger, he pulled out a pokeball, "Charizard, I choose you," Ash called out his powerful fire type, "Pikachu, escort the princess to Professor Oak's lab," Ash told the small yellow pokemon.

Charizard pushed the iron snake pokemon back with a powerful fire type attack but the steel type was barely faze by the attack, "going for a type advantage, too bad our pokemon have been trained to high level," the man said arrogantly.

"Salvia, go now! I don't want to have to tell you again," Ash said with increasing urgency.

Salvia started running followed by Pikachu, "Ash, please come back safely," Salvia requested as she ran down the street.

"Doesn't matter, she won't get far, I will deal with you first, then my chase for the princess will commence again," the man said as he lifted the hood off his head.

Ash clenched his fists while his winged fire type landed next to him breathing flames, "you will not get your hands on the princess, I will fight you regardless of how strong you are, Charizard use Flamethrower," Ash called out of a powerful fire type attack, the fire type sent out a flurry of flames in the direction of the steel type but it wasn't flinching and got ready to take the devastating fire type move.

**To be continued.**

* * *

**Alright the battle to protect the Princess has just commenced. Even with a type advantage the foe remains confident that he will defeat Ash, what does he have up his sleeve?**

**Will Ash gain victory against this new enemy? What Team will follow Ash on the Master's challenge? **

**Next time episode 4: Test of Courage.**


	4. Test of Courage

**Episode 4: Test of Courage.**

_Alright I lied a little, I didn't reveal Ash's team in the last Chapter (I mean episode), but that shouldn't matter because I will reveal the starting list for Ash's team and a new member (well almost) to Salvia's team in this chapter._

_Gary Oak: 17_

_Disclaimer: I have never owned Pokemon._

* * *

A powerful fire type attack slammed into the iron snake pokemon but the steel type pokemon didn't take much damage from the flames, Ash looked on as the powerful steel type charged at the fire type pokemon, Charizard flew up just as the attack landed, Ash jumped back missing the rocks and dirt flying towards him. Ash looked in shock as the smoke cleared showing the intimidating pokemon still raring to battle

"Charizard, Flamethrower again," Ash instructed the flying/fire type, Charizard sent out a sudden burst off flames towards Steelix.

The man Ash was battling let out a quick sneer, "Steelix, use Dig," the man commanded coolly, Steelix quickly dug its way into the ground barely missing the incoming fire attack.

"What? So fast, Steelix aren't that fast," Ash hissed in anger as he looked around, Ash waited for the iron snake to surface from the attack, the ground started to quake underneath Ash, "Charizard, help me out!" Ash yelled out to his pokemon, Charizard quickly flew towards his master and picked up, the steel type pokemon eventually surface and then tackled Charizard with a devastating blow, "Charizard, No!" Ash yelled out as he hit the ground.

Charizard fell to the ground but got up again, the foe just laughed at me and my pokemon, "and this is the protector of the princess, wow she picked a real dud," the man said arrogantly as he began to laugh at Ash, "Steelix, use Rock Slide," the enemy called out for the next attack.

"Charizard, are you okay?" Ash asked his pokemon, the large fire lizard roared and sent flames into the air in response, "good, now take to the air again, then use Overheat," Ash called out for an attack, Charizard, started to glow red before sending out a powerful pulse of flames towards Steelix, the rock type move was pushed away allowing for the fire type move to have a clear shot at the iron snake pokemon. The steel type pokemon slammed its tail on the ground raising dust into the air, suddenly a burst of steam filled the air, "what? Steam strange," Ash told himself as he tried to figure out why there was steam in the area.

"Dig again," the foe commanded confidently, Steelix made its way underground again barely missing the fire type move, "Steelix is too fast for you, I told you our pokemon are trained to high levels, you cannot win this battle," the man pointed out with a smile, "there is no way a soldier of the true king will lose to a worm like you," he pointed out arrogantly while clicking his fingers.

"Charizard!" Ash called out to his pokemon, this time the fire type picked up Ash and flew off, Ash watched as a powerful rock type move was fired towards them, "great, we can't overpower this foe," Ash explained as his tired Charizard tried to fly as far as he possibly could.

While Charizard was flying away from the battle, Steelix appeared suddenly in front of the pokemon, the steel type pokem on tackled Charizard sending Ash to the ground from the force of the attack and knocking Charizard to the ground, "I doubt the king would make a better choice than this loser," the man said while standing over Ash, "now I will get the princess and leave, she has serious business to deal with," the man said before leaving the battle field.

Ash slowly got up holding his arm, "this battle is far from over," Ash declared while panting, "Charizard, we need to fight like our lives depended on it!" Ash yelled to his tired pokemon, Ash pulled out another pokeball and got ready to call out another pokemon, 'Salamence, is another good choice,' Ash thought as he threw his pokeball calling out a large blue pokemon with red wings, "Salamence, you need to help Charizard out," Ash instructed his dragon type pokemon.

The opponent turned around with a sigh, "fool, doesn't matter how many pokemon you use, I will still defeat you," the man declared calmly.

Salvia ran to the Professor Oak's lab with the explosions of battle raging behind her, she was in a panic while knocking on the door with great urgency, she turned around to find Charizard landing in front of the lab from a powerful attack, 'please someone open up,' Salvia thought as her panic started to rise. Charizard slowly picked himself up and tried to fly back towards the battle, Steelix was now closer to the lab and pushing the fire type pokemon closer to the research center.

Salvia continued to knock on the door with greater panic, "alright," said an elderly man before opening the door. The door opened revealing a man with short grey hair wearing a white lab coat, brown pants and a red shirt, "is there anything I can do for you ma'am?" The professor asked with a smile, he looked up to see a Charizard fighting off a powerful Steelix.

Salvia bowed her head for a moment, "Ash, is in a lot of trouble, he needs some help," Salvia pointed out with great urgency, "is there a way we can help him?" Salvia asked in fear.

"Did someone say Ash was in trouble?" a male voice enquired with anger, the same person with spikey brown hair, wearing a purple shirt and black jeans walked around the corner before looking up to see the intense battle raging, "grandpa, I need Nidoking and Nidoqueen," the male instructed while gritting his teeth.

"Right Gary, be sure to hurry," the professor explained with a smile.

Gary quickly grabbed the two pokemon and ran towards the battle to help Ash out, "wait up buddy, help is on its way," Gary said calmly while getting ready to battle the enemy that Ash was facing.

"I told you, you didn't stand a chance, Steelix finish this with Rock Slide," the man called out for a devastating attack on the now grounded fire type pokemon, Ash watched as his two pokemon barely dodged the attack, "you still have some fight left in you," the man stated with a smirk.

Gary made it to the gate when he spotted something out of the corner of his eye, he watched as Charizard sent another flurry of flames towards the steel type, he watched as a water attack headed straight towards the fire attack, "so this was their plan, they hide a water type pokemon and when Ash is too busy focusing on the enemy in front of him they counter the fire type attack with a water move from the distance," Gary said calmly while pulling out a pokeball, "maybe I should turn the tide in this battle, Go Electivire," Gary called out his thunder type pokemon, "use Thunder Punch," the electric pokemon charged into the area with a thunderous fist, the attack landed as the mysterious pokemon started to counter the fire type attack, "so it was a Poliwrath," Gary said calmly as another person appeared from the shrubs.

"Poliwrath no, how dare you get involved in this battle," the man said with anger as he recalled the water type pokemon, "we are here for one thing, and that is the princess," the man said with a smirk.

Gary ignored the man and ran towards the battle, "yo Ash, how has the battle been?" Gary asked with a frown, "I found out this guy had back up, he had someone use Poliwrath to stop your fire attacks without you noticing," Gary pointed out with a smile, "it was a clever strategy but unfortunately I have put a stop to it," Gary informed the enemy.

The man burst out in to laughter, "that was only one third of the strategy, yes your friend here was out numbered, but he wants to know why Steelix moved so fast, show yourself," the man instructed with a smile, on cue another Steelix showed up out of the ground, "that's right I had a second Steelix underground and an ally using water type moves to soften the blow of fire type attacks," the man confessed with a smirk.

Ash looked up to see that his Charizard was barely able to fly, he pulled out his pokeball and recalled the injured pokemon, "never expected this to happen, they were ready for anything," Ash explained with frustration. "Gary, let's show them what the two strongest trainers of Pallet Town are capable of," Ash told his friend.

Gary nodded with approval and called out a large purple pokemon, "Nidoking, time to show these guys that they don't mess with Pallet Town," Gary told his poison type pokemon, "Start things off with Earthquake" Gary instructed the powerful creature, NIdoking stomped on the ground sending a huge shockwave towards the two steel type pokemon.

The opponent stood there and snickered as he clicked his fingers, the two powerful steel types slammed the ground creating their own Earthquake, the two shockwaves collided sending parts of the land rising, "this battle is too much fun, you might have stopped part of the plan, but it doesn't mean you will be victorious in this battle," the man declared with a smile, "Steelix, use Rock Slide," he called out as the two Steelix slammed into the land mass in front of them sending boulders tumbling to the pokemon in the way.

"Gary, you deal with Rock Slide, I will try to turn the battle into or favor," Ash explained trying to keep calm, Salamence flew towards the powerful steel type pokemon ready to attack the foes, "Salamence, use Dragon Breath," Ash called out for the counter attack, Salamence sent out a burst of green flames towards the steel types.

The powerful dragon type attack slammed into the intended target but when the smoke cleared the two pokemon were unfazed by the attack, it was then that Ash noticed a couple of sparks on the two steel type pokemon, "just what were you planning? You know dragon type moves don't do much damage to steel types," he explained with a sigh, after the explaination he noticed a smile on Ash's face, "what? Why are you smiling?" the man questioned in anger.

"Yeah Ash, why are you smiling?" Gary asked with uncertainty, "your attack didn't do much damage," Gary explained with a frown as the two steel types got ready to attack their opponents.

Ash looked over to Gary for a moment with a broad smile on his face, "Gary, do you know what the other outcome of Dragon Breath is?" Ash asked with growing confidence, Gary looked at the two steel types when he noticed a few sparks jumping from them, "see that Gary, Dragon Breath did its job," Ash pointed out happily.

"Steelix, Iron Tail," the enemy instructed the two steel types to attack the two pokemon, the two pokemon tried to move but they stopped much to the shock of their trainer, "no way, what's happening?" he asked in anger before he thought back to when Dragon Breath made a direct hit on his two pokemon, "Dragon Breath, can cause paralysis, I don't believe this," he said while gritting his teeth in anger.

"Nicely done Ash, I guess your training over the last two years has also produced you an awesome new pokemon," Gary said with a proud smile on his face, "but no time for celebration, time to end this battle," Gary declared calmly as his poison type got ready to attack, "Nidoking, finish them off with Earth Power," Gary ordered the powerful pokemon, the ground started to erupt with great power dealing great damage to the steel type pokemon.

"I won't let you have all the fun, Salamence, use Flamethrower," Ash called out for the final attack of the battle, Salamence sent out a powerful burst of flames towards the two iron snake pokemon.

The two opposing pokemon collapsed from the two attack, "lucky, next time you will not be so lucky," he explained as he recalled the two steel types, "Skarmory, time to get out of here," he called out bird pokemon and climbed on to make his escape.

The two trainers watched as the opposing trainer made his escape, "great, I had another pokemon ready battle," Gary said with a sigh, "Ash, there is something I would like to ask you," Gary explained with a frown, "what did he mean by kidnapping the princess? And who is this princess?" Gary questioned his friend, "Also who was that young lady knocking on the lab door telling us you were in trouble?" Gary asked while piling on more questions to a nervous trainer

Ash and Gary walked to the lab while Ash was explaining the situation to his longtime rival, "Gary, the young lady that knocked on the lab door, is the Princess," Ash professed with a sigh, Gary looked on in shock, he couldn't believe that someone that looked like one of his friends was a princess, "her uncle is after her because he was overlooked for the title of king," Ash stated with a frown.

"That doesn't explain why you are involved," Gary said with great worry.

"Gary, I am protecting her to make sure that she doesn't get kidnapped," Ash pointed out quietly, "not only that her father is trying to bring her home, I promised to be sort of a tour guide for her," Ash explained with a smile.

"Yeah right Ashy boy, a princess you were never that lucky," Gary smiled as the two walked up to the gates of the pokemon lab, "So Ash, how about it? We reignite our rivalry by competing in the Master's Challenge, but this time I will beat you," Gary enquired with sly smirk on his face.

Ash looked at his friend with a smile and nodded, "I was hoping for that," Ash confessed with a smile as the two restarted their rivalry, "but it seems like you are trying to think too far ahead, I will beat you again," Ash explained as the two walked up to the door of the lab.

The door opened with Professor Oak greeting them inside again, "hi Professor, sorry about the noise," Ash said with a smile before walking into the lab followed by his rival. Ash walked into the lounge room only to be welcomed by the princess who had a concerned look on her face, "it's great to know you made it here safely," Ash explained with a sigh of relief.

Salvia walked up to the professor with a smile and bowed before introducing herself, "I am Princess Salvia, so nice to meet you," she said with a smile before walking back to Ash's side.

Gary and the professor looked at each other in shock, not believing that a real life princess was in their presence, "Ash, can I have a word with you?" Gary asked his rival with a frown. Ash walked out of the room following his rival, "you do realize how jealous of you I am?" Gary enquired causing Ash to laugh, "you bring to this town a real life princess," Gary said in anger as he looked around the corner to look at the young royal.

Ash hit Gary in the shoulder with a laugh, "here I thought you were going to tell me all about why you wanted to reignite our rivalry," Ash said with a sigh.

The two rivals walked back into the lounge room, "so Ash, what did you and your rival talk about?" Salvia asked with a nervous smile.

"Nothing, we were just talking about the Master's Challenge, speaking of which, what will be your starting team Ash? you need six pokemon throughout the entire challenge," Gary pointed out one of the rules before walking to the lab to select his team.

Ash turned his gaze back to Salvia for a moment, "Professor Oak, can we please get Salvia a pokedex? I think it would be a nice tool for her to have on our journey," Ash explained as the elderly professor nodded in agreement.

Ash and Salvia followed the professor to the room storing the pokemon encyclopedias, "Ash, what is a pokedex?" Salvia asked quietly while they continued to follow the professor.

Ash looked over to an inquisitive princess, "well Salvia, a pokedex is an encyclopedia that stores the data of all pokemon in the world, it is also your ID and registration device," Ash pointed out calmly as they walked through a hall of the previous generations of pokedex, "that was the first one ever made, but with each generation came more information on pokemon as well as amazing upgrades to the pokedex's capabilities," Ash explained while the princess nodded her head in amazement.

The finally reached the end of the room, Salvia was given a pokedex, "now princess, you will only get one, so you will need to take care of it," Professor Oak explained with a smile, the princess nodded in approval.

"Gramps I am heading out, my team is chosen and the Master's challenge begins for me, also Ash before you ask, it's none of your own business what team I have chosen," Gary explained before leaving the trio in shock.

Ash looked more shocked than the other, "I wasn't going to ask him what team he had chosen," Ash said in surprise. Ash let out a quick sigh before heading off to the storage center, "Professor, I don't think Charizard is in any shape to help out at the moment, would you be able to heal him for me?" Ash asked with a frown handing over the pokeball containing the fire type, Salvia looked on in sadness knowing that the fire type got hurt defending her.

Ash walked to the back of the lab followed by Salvia who was tinkering with her new item, "so how does this thing help me on my travels?" Salvia asked as curious as ever.

Ash laughed a little before entering the storage center of the lab, "Salvia, the pokedex helps you gather information on pokemon, with that information you can decide whether you want to catch the pokemon or not," Ash explained as he walked to his section of the storage area, Ash looked to the end of his area and picked up an egg, "strange, didn't know that was there," Ash said with surprise etched over his face.

"Ash, it seems you have found the pokemon egg left for you, I know it's an Eevee egg," Professor Oak explained with a smile, "also Charizard will take a few days before it is fully healed, he took some serious damage in the battle," Oak explained with a grimace.

Ash and Salvia looked at the ground in shame, "we were ambushed by a person who specializes in steel types, from what Gary said another person was in hiding with a water type preventing my fire attack from getting through," Ash said with a clenched fist. Ash looked at the egg for a moment and smiled, he lifted the egg up and gave it to Salvia, "here princess, I think you should have it Eevee's are really good pokemon, you can choose one of seven types for it to evolve into," Ash told the princess with a smile.

Salvia took the egg and shed a small tear, "you're giving me this egg?" Salvia enquired happily, Ash nodded and walked up to the shelves, he placed his few pokeballs on the shelf and proceeded to look around for a strong team to start with, "Ash, what team are you going to travel with" Salvia asked while Pikachu was standing there confident of being chosen.

"Pikachu, you will be traveling with us," Ash explained as the small yellow pokemon jumped onto his trainers shoulder, "I will go with Lucario, then followed by that Gabite, Staraptor, Emboar and," Ash was starting before being smothered by a large pokemon, Salvia gasped at the sight of the pokemon, "okay Muk you can come to," Ash said with a smile while trying to recover from being smothered by the sludge pokemon's affections.

Salvia took a step back after hearing that Ash would allow such a pokemon to travel with them, "Ash, you can't be serious," Salvia said in shock, but Ash just looked at her for a moment and laughed it off, Salvia stepped back as the sludge pokemon approached her, "stay away from me," Salvia yelled as the pokemon got closer.

Ash watched as his Muk jumped onto Salvia smothering her affectionately, Ash burst into laughter while Salvia tried to push off the sludge pokemon, "alright Muk, you had your fun, time to leave for the Master's Challenge," Ash explained as he recalled the pokemon. After recalling the sludge pokemon Ash walked up to the princess and extended his hand, "Salvia, Muk was only trying to say hello, it means no harm," Ash said while Salvia took his hand, Ash helped Salvia up with a smile on his face.

Ash looked over to Professor Oak after helping Salvia up, "Ash, if you need any of your other pokemon, don't hesitate to let me know alright," the professor told with a smile, "also Salvia, if you catch more than six pokemon, the addtional you catch will be automatically sent here," the professor told the princess, she nodded with a smile and looked at the egg for a moment.

"So after this egg hatches I will have two pokemon, since I will have a Dratini and then an Eevee," Salvia stated with a smile.

Ash looked at Salvia for a moment with a grin, "Salvia, once we reach Viridian Forest I can begin your training," Ash explained calmly, Salvia nodded happily as she got ready to leave the lab, Ash waited for the princess to leave the room before turning his gaze back to the professor, "Professor, do you know where the first pin master is?" Ash asked calmly while Salvia was waiting for Ash.

Pofessor Oak gave Ash a map of the regions and pointed to Viridian Forest, "rumor has it one of the pin masters likes swinging from vine to vine in the forests of each region," Professor Oak pointed out with a smile.

"Thanks professor, I guess I will be on my way," Ash suggested with a grin before walking out of the lab, Pikachu jumped onto Ash's shoulder, Ash looked around to find Salvia was waiting at the door for him, "Salvia, you ready to see the world in its entirety?" Ash asked the princess while pulling out the map of the Kanto region.

Salvia nodded with excitement, one of her greatest dreams was about to come true, 'I can't wait to see this world, I hope I get to see all sorts of amazing stuff,' Salvia thought in hope while Ash was pointing at different locations on the map.

"Our first stop is Viridian City, there we will pick up the supplies we need for our travels in this region," Ash declared with a smile. Ash next pointed to the forest above the city with great enthusiasm, "in the forest I will be having my first Master's Challenge battle, the walk through the forest should take three days, so it will give me enough time to help train your pokemon," Ash explained to an excited princess.

"What are we waiting for? I want to start my journey now," Salvia declared as she ran up to the gate of the lab, Ash soon followed her quietly and closed the gate to the lab, 'I finally get to see, the world, I can't wait,' Salvia thought as the excitement was starting to become too hard for her to contain.

Ash walked away from the gate and started walking with Salvia to the exit of the town and towards route one of their journey, "I guess this is it, your world tour begins," Ash explained with a smile.

Salvia looked at Ash with a saddened expression, "Ash, will we come back here? I like this town, I like you mother's cooking," Salvia confessed with a smile.

Ash looked at the princess with a smile before chuckling, "of course we will be back here before we head to Johto and all the other regions," Ash decreed with a grin, "my mom wouldn't forgive me if I didn't visit her," Ash said with embarrassment, "plus with each region we visit, I want to take a new starting team, so coming back here will allow me to choose a new team per region," Ash explained the plan to Salvia. "Well are you ready to take your first steps of journey?" Ash asked Salvia who was starting to have second thoughts, "you're nervous aren't you?" Ash enquired with a smile.

"Yes Ash, I am nervous, I have never traveled before," Salvia confessed with a smile, Ash extended his hand out to Salvia, "Ash?" Salvia asked as she moved her hand closer to Ash's.

"If this is your first step on a journey, how about I take the first step with you, it is also my first step to beginning my journey to being the greatest trainer of all time," Ash explained as Salvia took his hand, she closed her eyes and in the exact same time Ash and Salvia took their first steps towards a new journey, "Salvia, you can open your eyes now," Ash called out as he let go of Salvia's hand.

"Ash, I am going to compete in Pokemon Contests while I'm here, I might not get every ribbon but I am going to do my best," Salvia declared her plans to Ash with a smile while the two walked down route one towards their next destination.

While the two were travelling Salvia's uncle looked down on them from a hill, he turned around to see a ship docking in, "seems like the fun is just about to begin, send the king a message," he told one of his men, "tell my brother that I have captured his daughter, tell him to meet me in Vermillion City," he told the messenger with a smile.

"Sir," the messenger saluted before leaving the scene.

"Time to see how far my brother will go to protect his daughter, even if I am just playing the mind games with, time to see who the true kng, isn't that right King Brian?" Salvia's uncle said with laughter before following the princess and Ash, "I think it would be a good idea to employ some help," he said with a smirk while keeping his distance from the traveling duo.

* * *

**The journey for the Master's Challenge has just begun, Salvia has declared her intentions to Ash to compete in Pokemon Contests. I have also revealed the name of the king and very soon I will reveal the name of his brother as well.**

_**Ash's starting team: Pikachu, Lucario, Emboar, Staraptor, Gabite and Muk**_

_**Salvia's Team: Dratini and Eevee egg**_

**What will King Brian do when he finds out about the news? Who is the first pin master in Ash's journey?**

**Next time Episode 5: The Return of Team Rocket**


	5. The Return of Team Rocket

**Episode 5: The Return of Team Rocket.**

_As the name implies Team Rocket will rise again in this chapter._

_Jessie: 25_

_James: 24_

_Disclaimer: I don't own pokemon._

* * *

A mysterious man kneeled in front of the king with his head down, "What? I refuse to accept the fact that my brother has taken my daughter," King Brian decreed after getting off the ship, the king looked to his men after they looked around town to gather information on the whereabouts of his daughter, the messenger sneered at the king for a quick moment, "hurry, we need to get to Vermillion City now," King Brian declared with anger while pulling out his pokeball.

The messenger left the scene after passing down the message to the king, he ran ahead before he was stopped his most trusted guard, "sire, this could be a trap, I doubt he has your daughter yet, it is too early for him to send one of his messengers," the guard pointed out with seriousness, "I also doubt that the young trainer would allow the princess out of his sight regardless of the situation," the guard stated with a frown.

"Get out of my way, we can't be certain if my brother is lying to us, but if he isn't then I must do what it takes to save my daughter," the king declared with anger before riding off with Rapidash.

"Men, we need to stop the king, he is heading into a trap," the guard pointed out while they called out their Rapidash, they climbed on the fire pokemon and galloped in the same direction the king was head, 'I don't believe for a second that this young trainer would have allowed the princess to be captured so easily,' the guard thought as he continued the chase for the king.

While the guards gave chase a shady man with a brown hooded trench coat was watching the situation unfold, "seems like the plan is working to perfection, tell our leader that the king has taken the bait," he said with a smirk, he pulled off the hood to reveal shoulder length black hair and a scar down the left side of his face, "the king is blind to the truth, he is too busy thinking about bringing the princess back to the palace," he said with a smirk.

"Sir, it seems like the princess and that trainer are heading to the next city, they should be there in two hours from now," another soldier declared calmly, the men disappeared from the scene after witnessing the king losing his temper.

As the situation was unfolding in Pallet Town, Ash and Salvia continued their journey to Viridian City, Pikachu was walking in front of them, both with positive expression written over their faces, Salvia had her pokedex in her hand looking at the device with great curiosity, Salvia pointed the pokedex towards Pikachu, "Pikachu, the Electric Mouse Pokemon and the evolved form of Pichu, this pokemon can generate electricity in its pouches located on both its cheeks," the pokedex recited the information to Salvia.

"So that's how it works?" Salvia enquired with a smile while scanning the pokedex in every direction, Ash watched as Salvia pressed a few buttons as she returned the pokedex to its original position, "what moves does Pikachu know?" Salvia asked with a smile.

"Pikachu knows, Volt Tackle, Thunderbolt, Electro Ball and Iron Tail," the pokedex replied.

Salvia flipped her pokedex around in great surprise, "how does this thing know all that stuff about Pikachu?" Salvia asked with surprise etched over her face, "where are the pages in this thing?" Salvia asked in amazement.

Ash burst out into laughter from the sight of Salvia looking at the pokedex with curiosity, "Salvia, the pokedex has the data programed into it, there is no paper and the data is placed inside by our friend Professor Oak," Ash explained with a smile, Ash pulled out his pokedex and showed Salvia some of the functions of the pokedex, "this device is meant to be easy to use for all trainers and coordinators," Ash told the princess who was now even more curious than before.

Salvia put her pokedex back in her pocket and looked around to see small purple rat like pokemon running all over the place, and a small brown pokemon with a vicious look in its eye, "wow, another couple of pokemon that I have never seen before," Salvia professed in wonderment.

"The small purple pokemon is Rattata and that nasty looking pokemon is a Spearow," Ash said with laughter.

Salvia watched as Ash begun to laugh at the small flying type pokemon, "what's so funny Ash?" Salvia asked in a puzzled tone.

"When I first started as a pokemon trainer I mistaken a Spearow for my rival," Ash explained as the princess nodded as she got closer to listen to Ash's story, "after mistaking it for my rival, I picked up a stone and threw it at the Spearow," Ash explained much to Salvia's horror.

"Ash, that wasn't nice, you should always treat pokemon and people as nicely as possible," Salvia berated Ash angrily while the two continued to walk down the road.

"After that, Pikachu and I ran for our lives trying to escape from the flock of Spearow, eventually I met Misty my first friend on my travels, I took her bike and rode away with it all the while being chased by a flock of Spearow," Ash told the princess as they continued to walk to their next destination.

"So what happened next?" Salvia asked wanting to hear more of the story from Ash.

Ash stopped telling the story, "I will tell you more as soon as we reach Viridian City," Ash explained to a now disappointed bluenette, "oh come on, why do I have to spoil the ending for you?" Ash asked with a smirk as they reached the city boarders

Ash and Salvia made it to the police booth which was being patrolled by a woman with shoulder length light blue hair, she was wearing a police uniform, the duo walked up to her calmly, "Ash, it's been a while since you last visited Viridian City," the officer said with a smile.

"Officer Jenny, nice to see you again," Ash replied with answering the question. "Are we able to enter the city to buy supplies for our journey?" Ash asked with a smile as he pulled out his pokedex. The officer pushed the pokedex back and shook her head. "What I can't enter the city?" Ash asked in anger before looking towards Salvia.

"Ash, you don't need to identify yourself, you can walk right through," Jenny explained with a smile.

"So, Salvia where was I?" Ash asked himself while placing his finger on his chin, "oh yeah that's right, Pikachu got injured defending me from the flock of Spearow, so I came here to try and get aid for my starter pokemon, but was stopped here by the officer you see in front of you," Ash explained parts of the story to the princess who was now starting to get more into the story.

Salvia looked around with a smile as the sun started to set, "Ash, it's getting dark we need to rest up, I don't think the shops are open right now," Salvia explained with a smile as she walked ahead of Ash.

Ash soon followed the princess to the Pokemon Center calmly while looking around, the sky started to change to a darker color, the street lights started to illuminate the streets as some of the trainers walked into a large building with a pokeball design for a roof, "when I first made it here, Officer Jenny rode her motorbike into the main foyer of this Pokemon Center while I was in the side cart," Ash explained with a smile. "I gave Pikachu to Nurse Joy to heal it from the battle," Ash told what might be the last part of the story.

Salvia sat down on a chair and placed her hands under her chin and waited for Ash to explain more of the story, "please Ash, I want to know more, the start of your journey seems very interesting," Salvia explained while Ash took a seat and sat down smiling.

"First, we need something to eat," Ash said as he walked over to the service counter to order the food for him, the princess and the pokemon, "also Salvia, you should take the chance to have your pokemon checked up, I am making sure that my team is ready for the battles that are ahead of me," Ash explained with a grin.

After giving their respective pokemon to Nurse Joy and taking to order for food, "Ash, I want to hear more of your travels," Salvia insisted while placing her hands under her chin.

Ash let out a quick smile while he witnessed the curious nature of the princess, "alright, while I was waiting for Pikachu to get better, the same person whom I borrowed the bike from entered this Pokemon Center, not happy that I took her bike and Pikachu fried it with Thundershock," Ash said with laughter, "she followed me until the end of my journey to Johto," Ash explained that part to Salvia.

"So what happened next?" Salvia insisted for more as the lights went out in the Pokemon Center.

"Seems like you're about to find out," Ash replied with a smirk, Ash got up as the emergency lights activated, Ash and Salvia walked up to the main desk while waiting for the entrance of the trio that followed him for most of his travels, "Salvia, we are about to see Team Rocket enter the building," Ash explained with a smile.

The doors opened as a man with short blue hair wearing a black jumper with a red 'R' and black pants walked in with a woman with long red hair wearing a black midriff jumper with a red 'R' and black pants on, they were soon followed by an upright walking Meowth, "alright we are here to find the a blue haired lady who is the princess in the Sinnoh region," the cat Scratch pokemon explained.

Salvia placed her hands over her mouth in shock, "amazing, the only pokemon that I know that can speak human language is Sir Colin's Chatot," Salvia said in amazement while walking up to the talking Meowth in sheer curiosity.

"Hey, what are you doing, get out little girl," the blue haired man berated the young royal, "we are looking for royalty," he explained, but Salvia didn't listen, she started to play with the ears of the cat like pokemon until she started to scratch it behind the ears.

"James this could be the young girl that our boss is after," the red haired woman explained calmly.

James looked over to his partner in crime and nodded, but before they could react Ash ran towards the princess and dragged her back, "seems like the twerp is guarding this one, so is this the royal?" James questioned with a smile as he pulled out a pokeball ready for battle.

"Salvia, those three are from Team Rocket, strange really I thought they lost most of their strength after the situation in the Unova region," Ash said with a frown, but the trio got ready to battle, Ash looked back with a frown hoping that his pokemon were there to battle them, "Salvia, stand back I will deal with these guys," Ash explained with confidence.

After waiting for a moment the nurse returned the pokemon to Ash and the princess, 'hmph, I hope I don't relive my first journey all over again,' Ash thought with a smile as he was staring down a large blue pokemon with white fur around its neck and black wings standing next to the pokemon was a large green humanoid pokemon, "Lucario and Gabite, I choose you," Ash called out the two pokemon ready for battle, "Salvia you stand behind me," Ash instructed the princess.

Ash looked up and glared at the Rocket Trio, "I remember this day very clearly seven years ago, we first met, we started chasing you for your Pikachu," James said with a smirk, "but this time we are here for the princess," he said with a smile while looking around.

"That's right, now that Team Rocket has the funds we can restart our operations," Jessie said with a laugh, "Team Rocket is back in business, Swoobat, use Air Slash," Jessie called out for the first attack of the battle.

"Gabite, counter with Dragon Claw," Ash commanded calmly, Gabite charged at the flying type with glowing claws, Dragon Claw landed with devastating effect pushing the pokemon back, "Lucario, take out Cacturne with Aura Sphere," Ash instructed the aura pokemon with confidence.

"Cacturne, Knock it away with Sucker Punch," James commanded as the dark type pokemon charged at the blue ball of energy, Cacturne knocked the attack away but still took some damage, the sphere hit one of the walls dealing some damage to the building.

Meanwhile outside King Brian was just about to leave the city and towards the forest ignoring the unfolding situation at the Pokemon Center, "sire, the people are in danger, I will be heading back to make sure they are okay," the royal guard told the king before riding off the king stopped him, "sire, I need to help the people out, remember I was a trainer before you employed me, so I can't stand to see the people getting hurt," the guard declared before turning around.

The king nodded in approval, "alright old friend, but make it back before I see my brother," the king ordered the royal guard, the guard nodded with a smile before riding off towards the Pokemon Center, "men we ride off to the exit of the forest and wait for, Sir Colin to return to us," the king ordered before riding ahead.

"If I am right, Lady Salvia will be right in the middle of that battle with the trainer," Colin told himself with a grimace, he got closer to the Pokemon Center the sounds of the battle raging could be heard from inside, Colin recalled his Rapidash and prepared to call out one of his trusted pokemon.

"Lucario, use Force Palm, Gabite, attack with Shadow Claw," Ash instructed the two pokemon on his side, while Pikachu was preventing Meowth from getting any closer, Ash's two pokemon charged towards the opposing pokemon.

Lucario pushed its palm into the Cacturne before a ball of energy blasted the grass type pokemon, Gabite slashed at Swoobat with a ghostly claw knocking it back to the same position as Cacturne, Colin was watching as the trainer was protecting Salvia, 'this guy is good, he is fighting off these two trainers while defending the princess,' Colin thought as the battle started again.

"Cacturne, Needle Arm on Gabite," James instructed his pokemon, the grass type charged at the land shark pokemon with a glowing green fist.

"Swoobat, use Confusion," Jessie commanded with a smile, the bat like pokemon sent out a wave of psychic energy towards Lucario holding it in place with the confusion, meanwhile Gabite was hit with a powerful grass type attack. Gabite tried to dodge the attack but was too slow to move out of the way and was hit by a devestating Needle Arm.

Ash watched as the dragon type slammed into the front desk, "Gabite, get up buddy," Ash called towards the land shark pokemon.

The Rocket trio started laughing at Ash, this time they had the advantage, "you might as well, tell us where the princess is, it would save you a whole lot of trouble," Jessie explained with a smirk, "but before I hand her over to our boss, I am going to mess up her pretty little face," Jessie declared her intentions with a smirk, "I can't stand anyone being better looking than me," Jessie pointed out with a dark smile.

Ash glared back as his anger started to rise, "you will not get your hands on the princess, I will protect her from the likes of you and her uncle," Ash told the rockets, Salvia watched as Ash made his intentions clear.

Salvia looked into he determined eyes of Ash, she couldn't take her eyes away from Ash and let out a small smile, 'Ash, is doing everything to protect me,' Salvia thought while her heart started to pound even faster, 'Ash, is a true knight, so determined to save me,' Salvia thought as her smile started to broaden, her eyes glinted as she watched Ash continue the battle to protect her, 'thank you Ash' Salvia thanked Ash silently as she closed her eyes.

"What? Unbelievable he is a trainer with no knight like training, yet he is putting everything on the line to protect Lady Salvia," Colin told himself before getting ready to enter the fray, Colin called out a flying type pokemon with a black head shaped like a musical note, blue wings, a green under belly and a black tail shaped like a metronome, "Chatot, use Hyper Voice," Colin called out for an attack to help Ash and Salvia out, the musical note pokemon sent out a loud echo pushing the two opposing pokemon back towards their trainers, "I am afraid that, I can't allow you three to take the princess, or defeat the trainer," Colin declared as he walked into the Pokemon Center.

Salvia looked up while hiding behind Ash, "Sir Colin, why are you here?" Salvia asked in shock as the guard looked over to them.

"Young man, how about we finish this battle?" Colin called over to Ash, "I will formally introduce myself after we beat these guys," the guard pointed out with a smile, "Chatot, use Aerial Ace," Colin called for the next attack, his pokemon charged towards Woobat with great speed before hitting it with immense power.

"Lucario, use Aura Sphere," Ash called out for the next attack, Lucario charged up a powerful sphere before firing it at the cactus like pokemon.

"Cacturne, counter it with Needle Arm," James called for the counter attack, the cactus pokemon charged towards sphere but was blindsided by Chatot allowing the sphere to slam into the dark type pokemon with great force.

Jessie looked over to her partner in crime before nodding at him, "time to make our get away," Jessie told James before throwing down a smoke ball to conceal their escape.

Colin walked over to Ash with a smile, "well you certainly are brave young man, as a fellow trainer I am impressed by your skill in battle, yet you still have a lot to learn if you want to protect Lady Salvia," Colin told Ash with a smile, "my name is Colin McManus, a personal guard of Lady Salvia employed by the king himself," Colin introduced himself with a smile with his hand extended out to the young trainer.

Ash met the guards hand and shook it with great confidence, "my name Ash Ketchum, of Pallet Town," Ash finished the introductions, Salvia moved next to Ash with a smile on her face, "Salvia, I guess this is it for your journey," Ash said with slight disappointment.

Salvia looked on in horror as she felt a dagger enter her heart, "no, I don't want my journey to end, I want travel you Ash," Salvia said as she started to cry.

Colin looked down towards the duo and shook his head, "no, it isn't the end of your journey together, you see I know what it's like to see the world, I was trainer much like yourself Ash," Colin confessed with a proud smile, "I always dreamed of becoming the best trainer ever, just like you Ash," Colin pointed out with a smile while getting two items out of his bag, "take these X-Transceivers, they already have my number in them, as well as the numbers to the respective ones you have," Colin told the duo.

"Sir Colin, what of my dad?" Salvia asked in fear as she took the items from her friend.

"I am afraid that my job of protecting you falls to Ash alone, I need to protect the king from an ambush set up in Vermillion City," Colin responded with a proud smile, "Ash, train Lady Salvia to become stronger, not just for her father but for her own personal growth," Colin instructed Ash with a confident grin, "It falls to you Ash, to do what I cannot do at this moment," he stated with a smile before walking towards the exit of what remained of the Pokemon Center, Salvia looked at Ash again this time with a renewed smile, "if you two get separated, use the X-Transceivers to call each other to find one another understood?" Colin asked the two. "stay close, the kings brother is deserate, he willl do anything to take power from the king," Colin declared with a frown.

"Thank you Sir Colin," Salvia said thankfully.

"Yes, thank you Colin," Ash said while bowing his head.

Before Colin left the scene he turned around to give Ash a thumbs up, "Ash, teach the princess what the world is like, show her the beauty of the world," Colin said before calling out one of his Rapidash, "don't worry I will not tell the king about seeing you two," Colin promised with a smile, "and last but not least, always look out for one another, I might not be a true romantic but Lady Salvia, I saw the look in your eyes when Ash declared he would protect you," Colin teased before riding off to meet with the king.

Salvia watched Colin ride off with her face starting to turn a little red, 'yeah right, you're always wrong about that stuff Sir Colin,' Salvia thought to herself, she looked back to see Ash tend to his pokemon, she watched Ash recall his pokemon before heading towards the scared people inside the building, 'but I have to admit, he is a really nice person, not only tending to the pokemon but to the scared people as well,' Salvia thought while standing there with a smile on her face.

Ash looked up to Salvia who was standing there, "Salvia, I need you to get me some bandages for some of the people please," Ash called out to Salvia who was just standing there smiling, 'what is she smiling at?' Ash asked in thought, "her royal highness," Ash called out to the young royal whose smile turned into a frown instantly.

Salvia stormed into the building in anger, "I told you not to call me that SIR Ash," Salvia berated Ash only for him to laugh at her.

"Salvia, I need you to get me some bandages, some of these people have been hurt a little," Ash told the princess.

Salvia quickly ran off to find the items that Ash need to help the people out, she looked over the stores until she found a box containing bandages that Ash need. Salvia grabbed the box and quickly returned to Ash who was helping the people out, "Ash, here are the bandages that you need," Salvia declared with a smile as she placed the box next to Ash.

"Thanks, Salvia," As said thankfully as he took the bandages to wrap around a cut on one of the people, "hey Salvia, can you please help the people out?" Ash asked the royal.

Ash and Salvia worked late into the night helping out the injured people and pokemon, Ash and Salvia were starting to get tired from the hard work they were doing, "Ash, I am starting to get really tired," Salvia told Ash while she yawned.

"Salvia, you go ahead and get some sleep, I will continue to help the people out," Ash told the princess. She walked away while Ash was helping the people out, "Pikachu, can you keep an eye on the princess for me, I don't want anything to happen to her," Ash told his partner pokemon.

The small yellow pokemon ran in the direction of the princess who was in her room, "I can't believe how noble Ash is," Salvia told herself while Pikachu was listening to her words, he stood just outside the room and listened with intent, "I don't understand this, there is no way I can, could I be?" Salvia asked as the small electric mouse pokemon continued to listen to the princess's words, "no there is no way, but what if I am?" Salvia questioned while looking into her hands, "it has only been four days since we started traveling," Salvia told herself as she started to lay down on the bed.

Ash continued to work now with the pokemon making sure they were alright from the sneak attack, he was struggling to keep himself awake, "why has Team Rocket returned?" Ash asked himself in disbelief.

Meanwhile Salvia continued to tell herself that there was no way what Colin said was true,she looked up to the ceiling before closing her eyes with the image of Ash determined to protect her etched in her memory, "Sir Colin, you're wrong, I am not starting to fall for Ash, there is no way," Salvia continued to tell herself, Pikachu sat there in disbelief at what her was hearing from the princess, suddenly silence filled the air, Pikachu pushed the door open to find the princess was now asleep on the bed, "I can't be in love with Ash," Salvia said while snoozing away as Pikachu walked further into the room.

Ash was now starting to get very tired, he had finished the job and was now heading to his room, he looked at the corner of his eye and noticed that the door was open, he walked into the room and saw Salvia sleeping and shivering as the cold night set in, Ash walked into the room and placed the blanket over the princess, "good night princess," Ash said quietly before exiting the room. Ash looked back to see Pikachu sleeping at the end of the bed while Salvia was snuggling into the blanket, Ash closed the door and started the opened the door opposite to Salvia's room, "great, I am so tired," Ash stated while yawning, Ash walked into his room and closed the door, he jumped into the bed and crawled under the blanket and started to go to sleep.

Outside the Pokemon Center Jessie, James and Meowth was standing there with a King Brian himself, "seems like I have Team Rocket helping me," he said with a smirk, "I, Christopher, will soon have all the power I need," he said with a smirk.

"Just be sure you don't double cross our boss Giovanni," James told Christopher.

Christopher looked at the rocket with an insincere smile on his face, "I wouldn't do such a thing, after all it was me that gave your boss the funds he need to revive Team Rocket, so you better not double cross me," Christopher said while glaring at the Rocket Trio, "also if anyone harms my niece, I will personally place them in prison for the remainder of their miserable life," Chris told the rocket, "I don't want her hurt, the king would not be happy, I need her in one piece so the king can sign the paper work properly, without an excuse," Chris said with laughter as he walked away towards the next mission.

Jessie looked away with disdain, "great even her uncle is protective of her, he just wants her kidnapped so he can take the throne," Jessie said in anger as the trio disappeared towards the forest.

* * *

**The name of the kings brother has been revealed and one of his trusted guards whom will play a role in the story as well.**

**The Princess is starting to develop feelings for Ash, but doesn't seem to accept it just yet, how will this new development affect her journey with Ash? **

**In the next episode the first Pin Master battle takes place in Viridian Forest.**

**Next time Episode 6: Emily the Bug Master. **


	6. Emily the Bug Master

**Episode 6: Emily the Bug master.**

_Here it is the first of seventeen pin battles. Please enjoy this long chapter._

_Disclaimer: Pokemon doesn't belong to me._

* * *

Pikachu landed in front of Ash recovering from an attack caused by the opposing pokemon, Ash looked at his partner pokemon with a smile, "that's much better Slavia," Ash told the princess as he looked over to the other side of the battlefield, with Salvia standing next to her starter pokemon, Pikachu was standing in front of his master with sparks flying from his cheeks, "now Salvia, try and hit Pikachu with the best Dragon Pulse you can," Ash instructed the princess as Pikachu got ready for the next attack.

"Dratini, use Dragon Pulse," Salvia instructed her pokemon, the small dragon type charged up a ball of dragon like energy before unleashing the attack at Pikachu.

"Pikachu, dodge the attack and then use Thunderbolt," Ash instructed the small yellow pokemon, the electric mouse pokemon used his superior agility to dodge the attack before charging up for a powerful thunder type attack on the dragon type pokemon. The attack landed hurting the dragon type slightly, Ash looked over to the opposing pokemon, "alright that's enough for now, we have been training for a day, our pokemon need some rest," Ash explained with a smile as Pikachu climbed on his shoulder and Salvia recalled her dragon pokemon.

Salvia had a look of disappointment etched on her face, she looked over to the pokemon egg that was being watched over by Ash's Lucario, 'Ash is so strong yet he still struggles to defeat the people who are after me,' Salvia thought with a frown, she looked at the ground failing to notice Ash approaching her, 'I need to become stronger, I need to become stronger,' Salvia repeated in thought, "I need to become stronger!" Saliva yelled out before meeting Ash's eyes.

"Salvia, are you alright, you haven't been yourself since we met with Colin," Ash said with concern, Salvia nodded with calmly, "okay, we will continue with the training later, but first we will start traveling through Viridian Forest today," Ash said quietly before walking to the exit of the battlefield, 'it has been quiet for two days, I wonder how Colin is going,' Ash thought before looking back to see Salvia picking up the pokemon egg.

Salvia walked to the exit of the battlefield with sadness all over her face, 'what am I supposed to do?' Salvia asked herself while standing next to Ash.

Ash looked down at Salvia in concern, "come on Salvia, we already have all the supplies that we need to take us all the way to Celadon City, so we should be heading towards the next City," Ash explained quickly, "tonight we will camp out, you will love it this time around," Ash said with a smile as he walked to the Pokemon Center followed by the princess who held onto her pokemon egg.

Salvia followed Ash while holding the pokemon egg, thinking about everything that had happened in the last week of her travels, 'I have just started my training with Ash, but I feel like that he is pushing himself too much,' Salvia thought as she looked up to Ash with worry plastered all over her face, 'yet I am too weak to help him out, what use am I?' Salvia started to question herself as her confidence started to plummet.

Ash walked into the Pokemon Center followed soon after by the princess, Ash walked up to the nurse in charge and handed her his Pikachu while the princess was dawdling up to the front counter with her pokeball to heal her dragon type pokemon, 'now I know something is up, she isn't her normal self,' Ash thought noticing the smile of the princess was not as prominent and her confidence was no longer there, "Salvia, the checkup will not take long, you can tell me anything that's on your mind," Ash proclaimed with a smile.

Salvia looked up at Ash as she grasped her pokemon egg, "Ash do you think this training will be enough?" Salvia asked in concern, "I mean that what if we have to face those three again? What if we have to face my uncle in battle?" Salvia continued to ask away at the trainer.

Ash's smile turned to a frown he let out a sigh before looking at the ground, "you know I was thinking the same thing," Ash confessed with a grimace, "but there was one thing I promised Salvia," Ash started as Salvia started to look up to a now determined Ash, "I promised that I would protect you from Team Rocket and from your uncle," Ash said with his fists clenched, "I said I would train you and I have just started training you," Ash pointed out calmly as the chime sounded to signal that their pokemon were fully healed.

Salvia looked at Ash's determination again, 'again with that determination, why can't I stop picturing it?' Salvia questioned herself, 'why am I relying on that for a foundation of strength?' Salvia continued to question as she picked up her pokeball, Pikachu climbed on Ash's shoulder and the duo started to walk out of the Pokemon Center starting their travels to the next destination.

Ash and Salvia started heading towards the forest as a deafening silence started between them, which was only broken by the sounds of trainers having a battle outside the forest boarders, "Salvia, we are almost there," Ash explained but the princess wasn't listening to Ash for a moment, "wow she is really down on confidence," Ash whispered as the duo continued to walk towards the forest.

Ash looked toward the tall trees that were dominating the skyline, Ash thought for a moment as the memories of the air battle he had on the back of Pidgeot, "You know Salvia, the incident with the flock of Spearow didn't end that day, A year later I was preparing to travel through the Orange Island where I met a familiar pokemon that had evolved into a Fearow," Ash said with a frown while walking into the forest with the princess, "my Pidgeotto battled it with all its might but was no match for the pokemon," Ash stated calmly, "when all seemed lost, my Pidgeotto evolved into a Pidgeot and we ended up winning the battle," Ash stated with a proud smile.

Salvia looked up to the sky and started to ponder until a loud female voice appeared from out of nowhere, "great I was thinking to myself," Salvia said as her concentration was broken for a moment. 'So just like Ash's Pidgeot we have to evolve as well to become stronger,' Salvia thought calmly as they walked through the forest.

"This Forest is awesome!" A female yelled out as her voice echoed through the forest, Ash and Salvia looked around trying to find the origin, "come on Ninjask you can do better than that," the woman said as she appeared in front of Ash and Salvia.

Ash looked on as the woman with short black hair, wearing a green blouse, pink skirt and blue shoes, the two followed her wanting to find out what she was doing swinging from the vines, "what are you doing?" Ash asked before she landed on a branch of a tree in front of them, the young female stood looking down at them, "who are you?" Ash asked in calmly.

"My name is Emily, I am a bug master here to test trainers on their skills in a full battle," Emily replied with great confidence, "and who are you?" Emily asked the trainer in front of her with a smile.

"My name is Ash Ketchum from Pallet Town, I challenge you to a battle for a pin," Ash replied with a grin, Emily jumped down off the tree and nodded with a smirk, "so you accept my challenge?" Ash asked confidently as Salvia stood next to Ash.

"And who is that young lady?" Emily asked smiling at the duo.

"My name is Salvia, of the Sinnoh region," the princess replied quickly, Salvia looked around for a moment to try and find the battlefield, "so Emily where is the battlefield?" Salvia asked calmly.

Emily walked around for a second and pointed in every direction, "the battlefield, is everywhere, I hate the confines of boundaries," Emily confessed with a smile as she pulled out her pokeball ready to battle Ash, "Ash, be ready, my bug types are really good," Emily pointed out with great confidence. "the rules are simple, the battle will be six on six with both trainers being able to switch out, the trainer that knocks out all their opponents pokemon is declared the winner," Emily declared the rules to Ash before pulling out a small pin shaped like a Beedrill, "if you manager to defeat me, you will earn this Hive Pin," Emily decreed with a smirk.

Ash smiled while pulling out a pokeball ready to battle his first challenge, "bring it on," Ash called out while Salvia sat on a log ready to watch the battle, "Gabite, I choose you," Ash called out his dragon type pokemon.

"Beautifly, time to win this," Emily called out her pokemon ready to battle Ash's pokemon.

The two combatants glared at each other while Salvia looked over to Ash, "Gabite, use Dragon Claw," Ash called out for the first move, Gabite charged towards the butterfly pokemon with a glowing claw.

"Quickly Bueatifly dodge the attack, then use Silver Wind," Emily ordered her bug type pokemon. Beautifly dodged the attack easily before flapping its wings unleashing a silver gust at the dragon type pokemon pushing it back towards Ash, "now, attack with Bug Buzz," Emily ordered her Beautifly with great confidence. The butterfly pokemon flapped its wings sending out a damaging wave towards Ash's dragon type pokemon.

"Gabite, dodge it then counter with Stone Edge," Ash issued his command calmly. The land shark pokemon barely dodged the attack before sending out a barrage of stones at beautifly.

The attack landed dealing immense damage on the bug type pokemon much to Emily's horror, "wow you're good, but I am better, Beautifly use Giga Drain," Emily called out for her next attack, the colorful pokemon started to glow while starting to take some energy from the large blue pokemon, Beautifly healed itself from the devastating attack. Giga Drain healed the butterfly pokemon getting it ready for another attack.

"Gabite, return the favor with Shadow Claw," Ash commanded the land shark pokemon. Gabite charged at the bug type with a shadowy claw.

"Beautifly, dodge the attack, then use Bug Buzz," Emily issued her command with a smile. Beautifly dodged the attack easily and flapped its wings sending out a powerful shockwave towards Ash's Gabite, the attack landed on an exhausted Dragon type pokemon, the dragon type hit the ground after the attack knocked out of the battle, "yes the first round goes to me," Emily declared happily as the exhausted bug type flew next to Emily.

Ash recalled his fallen pokemon and got ready to call out his next pokemon, "Muk, I choose you," Ash called out his next pokemon to battle, Salvia and Emily looked on in horror as the poison type pokemon took the stage, "what's the matter? This pokemon is cool," Ash said with a smile.

"Beautifly, use Silver Wind," Emily instructed her pokemon. The bug type flapped its wings and sent out another silver gust of wind, the poison type took the attack without any effect on it, "Beautifly, use Bug Buzz," Emily called out in panic Beautifly used its wings to send out a powerful wave towards the poison type, the attack landed but very minimal damage was done.

"Now, it's my turn Muk use Sludge Bomb," Ash called out with a grin. The poison type fired a barrage of poisonous blobs at the bug type severely hurting it, "now finish it with Body Slam," Ash ordered quickly, the sludge pokemon tackled the bug type smothering it, Muk picked itself up revealing a knocked out butterfly pokemon.

"Yes, nicely done Ash," Salvia cheered while watching the bug master returned her Beautifly.

Emily pulled out another pokeball and got ready to call out her next pokemon, "Scizor, it's show time," Emily called out a large red pokemon with pincers for each hand with eye like designs, "what will you do now? Not many trainers have ever knocked out Scizor," Emily declared with a smirk.

"Great, this isn't good, Muk, use Body Slam," Ash called out for the attack, the poison type was too slow and was cut off by the pincer pokemon.

"No way you can overpower Scizor with moved like that, Scizor, counter with Iron Head," Emily commanded with great confidence. The pincer pokemon easily dodged the attack and launched itself at the poison type with a powerful charge, the bug/steel type slammed into Muk dealing great damage to it, the poison type remained standing but was starting to look tired from the power of the last attack.

"Alright Muk, looks like we have to wait for a moment," Ash told his poison type pokemon.

"Scizor, use Iron Head again," Emily told her bug type pokemon, the large red pokemon charged at the poison type with great intent.

Ash let out a quick smile while the pincer pokemon charged ever closer to its intended target, "now Muk, use Body Slam," Ash called out with confidence, this time Scizor was too close to dodge the attack Muk slammed down on the steel type pokemon but the momentum of the steel type was too much for it to handle. "No Muk," Ash called out to his poison type pokemon.

Scizor jumped back calmly while Muk was now knocked out of the battle, "that was a great move Ash, but Muk was way too slow," Emily complimented Ash with a smile.

Ash recalled his poison type and pulled out one of his pokeballs, "Emboar I am going to save you for later," Ash said while putting it back to get ready to call out another of his pokemon, "Staraptor, let's go," Ash called out a powerful flying type pokemon.

Emily looked over to the large black pokemon with a smile on her face, "not a bad choice Ash, but as a bug master I have found ways to counter type disadvantage," Emily decreed confidently, Scizor stood at the ready to restart the battle while Staraptor, "get ready her it comes, Scizor, attack with Metal Claw," Emily instructed her pokemon.

"Alright Staraptor time to show her some power, use Brave Bird," Ash called for the counter attack. The two powerful pokemon charged towards one another, a blue flame surrounded the flying type as the speed of the attack increased, all the while Scizor's claw started to glow.

Eventually the two pokemon collided with great force knocking each other back towards their trainers, sparks flew from Staraptor signaling the damage taken from the Brave Bird attack, Scizor knelt down from the force of Brave Bird, "not bad Ash, but Scizor is just getting warmed up," Emily declared with a smile.

"Is that so, well Staraptor has only just started," Ash declared with a smirk, the two pokemon picked themselves up and got ready to battle once again, "Staraptor, use Close Combat," Ash called out for another attack.

"Scizor, attack with Bullet Punch," Emily called out with a smile. The two pokemon charged at one another yet again, exchanging blows with their powerful attacks, "now hit it with Metal Claw," Emily called out for the next attack.

"Staraptor, counter with Endeavor," Ash commanded with a confident grin.

The two pokemon collided with great strength in the middle of the forest, they finally got pushed back from the intensity of the attack, they were panting from exhaustion of the fast pace of the battle, "not bad at all, this is the first time someone has pushed my Scizor to the limit," Emily confessed calmly, "but this round will go to me," Scizor, use X-Scissor," the bug master called out for the next attack.

"I am not done yet, Staraptor, attack with Brave Bird," Ash ordered the predator pokemon. The two pokemon charged at one another with great power, Staraptor once again became surrounded by blue flames while charging at the pincer pokemon.

Scizor charged quickly towards the flying type with glowing claws until the two pokemon collided between the two trainers, the dust picked up due to the force of the attacks, the three people waited and watched as the dust started to drop, Salvia clasped her hands together and closed her eyes while Pikachu was sitting next to her in disbelief, 'please be alright Staraptor,' Salvia thought while opening her eyes.

Once the dust had settled it showed that the two pokemon were knocked out at the same time, "wow Ash, not bad," Emily congratulated Ash with a smile while recalling her Scizor.

"You did well Staraptor, take a nice rest," Ash said proudly while recalling his flying type pokemon. Ash pulled out his pokeball this time he knew that he needed to have Emboar battle if he was to have a chance of Victory, "Emboar, I choose you," Ash called out a large orange an brown pokemon with yellow patterns on its torso as well as a flaming beard, 'time for the counter offensive,' Ash thought with a smirk.

"Ninjask, time to show this trainer what we are made of," Emily called out her next pokemon, a small grey pokemon with clear wings, red gleaming eyes and a gold crest over the eyes, appeared on the battlefield, "you think power is what wins you battles?" Emily enquired calmly as the mega fire pig sent out a burst of flames, "wow Emboar is pumped," Emily said happily as the ninja pokemon hovered over the battlefield.

"Emboar, use Flamethrower," Ash ordered quickly, the fire type sent out a powerful flurry of flames towards the bug type pokemon.

"Dodge it Ninjask," Emily commanded the bug type pokemon, before the flames got too close the in a sudden blur the ninja pokemon dodged the attack, "now use Swords Dance," Emily told her pokemon. Ninjask spun around while flying with enough speed to keep the opponent busy trying to find it, "now use Slash," Emily commanded with great confidence, her pokemon charged towards the mega fire pig pokemon with great velocity before slashing down on Emboar.

"Emboar, dodge it with Flame Charge," Ash commanded his pokemon to use the fire type move defensively, the fire type stomped on the ground lifting up the dirt to prevent the ninja pokemon from seeing him, suddenly the fire type charged out of the dusk dodging the attack from his opponent, "nice, now use Flame Pledge," Ash instructed his pokemon calmly.

"Not a chance, Ninjask, use Double Team," Emily ordered smiling with anticipation, the ninja pokemon sent out clones of itself while Emboar punched the ground causing fire to sprout out from the earth, "missed," Emily said with a confident grin.

Ash looked on as his pokemon was now surrounded by a group of Ninjask clones, "okay, I need to remain calm, Ninjask are speedy pokemon," Ash told himself as he took a breath.

"He has let his guard down, Ninjask use Slash again," Emily ordered her pokemon in a hurried command, the ninja pokemon charged towards the fire type while Ash remained calm.

"Now Emboar, use Flamethrower on the Ninjask on the left," Ash told his fire type with a grin, Emboar used the power fire type move while the Ninjask moved closer, Ninjask powered through the flames with all its speed before slashing the fire type with great power, the Ninja pokemon collapsed after taking the powerful attack but Emboar was looking a little exhausted from taking on the speed of Ninjask.

"Wow, that's not bad at all Ash, but your fire type took some decent damage during that battle," Emily told Ash with a smirk, "Let's see how you go against this one, Yanmega, it's show time," Emily called out her pokemon, she looked extremely confident as a large green pokemon with powerful red eyes and clear wings got ready to battle, "my Yanmega will knock out your Emboar with one hit," Emily declared with a confident look on her face.

Salvia watched the battle with anticipation, she looked at the fire type who was now looking pretty tired from a battle against the previous opponent, 'Ash,' Salvia called out Ash's name in concern.

"Emboar, use Flamethrower," Ash called out the first attack of the round, but the power of the flames was weakened due to the exhaustion of the previous round.

The ogre darner pokemon easily dodged the attack, while Emily waited for a moment for an opening on the attack, a glint appeared in her eyes as Emboar collapsed on one leg, "now, use Air Slash," Yanmega fired blades of air at the tired fire type pokemon.

"Emboar try to dodge the move," Ash said in concern, but the fire type was too tired to dodge the attack the moce made a direct hit knocking out Emboar in the one hit Emily promised, "wow she is good," Ash confessed in frustration, "I have two pokemon left over," Ash said as the odds started to stack against him.

"Yanmega, return," Emily recalled her pokemon much to the shock of Ash, "I will be saving that pokemon for later, but now you will face Crustle," Emily declared with a smirk as a large orange pokemon with a large layered rock bed for a shell.

Ash pulled out his remaining pokeball and closed his eyes for a moment, "Lucario, I choose you," Ash called forth a blue and black pokemon shaped like a fox, "now is the time to turn the tides in this battle," Ash declared with great confidence. Lucario got ready to take the battle on like it had done so many times in the past for Ash.

"Wow, this battle is about to get interesting," Emily said with great focus.

Salvia watched as the aura pokemon looked at her for a moment, 'why is Lucario looking at me?' Salvia thought during that moment, she looked away nervous after Lucario turned back towards the battle, "come on Ash, you can win this!" Salvia yelled out trying to cheer Ash up.

The wind started to pick up as the two pokemon waited for their respective trainers to call for an attack, "Lucario, use Aura Sphere," Ash called for the first attack the round. The aura pokemon charged up a blue ball of aura before firing it off towards the stone home pokemon.

"Crustle, use Withdraw," Emily ordered her pokemon to defend itself. The Aura Sphere slammed into a hiding Crustle and still managed to deal a decent amount of damage, "now return the favor with Earthquake," Emily issued her command confidently. The stone home pokemon slammed its claws into the ground creating a huge shockwave that was heading towards Lucario.

"Lucario, jump up into the air, then use Shadow Ball," Ash ordered the powerful fighting pokemon, Lucario jumped up into the air barely missing the ground type move it then charged up for a powerful ghost type attack, Lucario fired the a devastating Shadow Ball before landing on the ground.

The shadow ball got closer to Crustle, "use Withdraw," Emily ordered for the defensive move again, the attack landed causing a decent amount of damage to the bug type pokemon, "now use Rock Wrecker," after the command a large boulder appeared in front of the stone home pokemon before firing it at the aura pokemon.

"Lucario, dodge the attack," Ash issued his command with a grin, "now use Force Palm," Ash ordered his partner in battle, the aura pokemon charged at the stone home pokemon with great intent, it pushed the palm into the bug type before a green orb appeared, it blew up dealing a little damage to the bug type pokemon, "now Lucario, finish it with Aura Sphere," Ash commanded with certainty. The aura pokemon charged up a blue orb before firing it at Crustle dealing the final blow in the round.

"Well done Ash," Emily said with a smirk before returning her pokemon ready to call out her next pokemon, "Scolipede, let's go," Emily called out her next pokemon, after the light disappeared there stood a large purple pokemon with red eyes and four legs. "Let's see how you go in this round," Emily decreed with a smile on her face.

Salvia continued to watch with intent as the battle started to reach its conclusion, "Ash, keep going," Salvia cheered while Ash continued to focus on the battle at hand.

Scolipede got ready to charge at the aura pokemon while Lucario stood there calmly ready to battle, "Lucario, use Bone Rush," Ash commanded with a grin, a bone appeared in Lucario's hand, it spun the bone around before charging at the megapede pokemon.

"Alright, Scolipede, use Double Edge," Emily called out calmly, Scolipede charged at Lucario ferociously, the two pokemon collided with great power pushing them back towards their trainers, "now Scolipede, use Steamroller," Emily commanded with confidence, the megapede pokemon quickly curled up before rolling towards the aura pokemon with great power.

"Lucario, Dodge the attack then, use Shadow Ball," Ash told the aura pokemon quickly. Lucario jumped up and charged up a powerful blob of ghost like energy, Lucario fired the sphere at Scolipede dealing a decent amount of damage to the megapede pokemon.

"Scolipede no," Emily called out to her pokemon in panic, the massive pokemon picked itself up and roared as it got ready to battle it out again against Lucario who was starting to show signs of fatigue, "Lucario is starting to get tired," Emily said with an assured grin, "Scolipede, use Steamroller again," Emily declared her attack, the megapede pokemon once again curled up and rolled towards an already exhausted fighting type.

"Lucario, attack with Force Palm," Ash commanded with vigor. The two pokemon charged at one another with great ferocity.

In a quick instant the two pokemon collided with one another causing a powerful shockwave as the power of Force Palm blew up, Ash, Salvia and Emily covered their respective eyes as a bright light filled up the area. After the light disappeared both pokemon were knocked out from the attack, "wow, this battle is great," Salvia told herself as she turned her gaze back to the battle between the pin master Emily and Ash, "come on Ash, you can do it," Salvia continued to support Ash loudly.

"Pikachu, you're up buddy," Ash called his partner pokemon over to the battle, Pikachu jumped off the seat and landed in front of his trainer with sparks flying from his cheeks, "great to see that you're so stoked," Ash told his best friend.

"Wow, isn't often that I have to battle with only one pokemon remaining, you have already proven that you're a great trainer Ash, but unfortunately for you this is where it ends, go Yanmega," Emily stated while calling out her final pokemon again.

The two pokemon looked at each other for a moment, Emily started laughing enjoying the battle as it was coming to an end, "time to end this battle," Emily decreed with confidence, "Yanmega, Bug Buzz," Emily called out for the first attack of the final round. The wings of Yanmega started to vibrate sending out a powerful shockwave in every direction.

"Pikachu, quick dodge the attack!" Ash yelled out, the small yellow pokemon tried to dodge the attack but was unsuccessful in his attempt, Ash gritted his teeth as Pikachu landed on all fours in front of him, "Pikachu, use Electro Ball," Ash commanded with confidence, Pikachu jumped up and prepared a powerful ball of electricity, Pikachu threw the ball from his tail the attack slammed into Yanmega dealing significant damage to it.

"Yanmega, fly up and use Silver Wind," Emily ordered her pokemon happily, the ogre darner pokemon flapped its wings sending out a silvery gust towards Pikachu.

"Pikachu, dodge the attack with Volt Tackle," Ash commanded as Pikachu gained an electrical aura before dodging the Silver Wind attack.

"Amazing I never seen someone use Volt Tackle like that before," Emily admitted with a smile, "Yanmega, use Ancient Power," Emily told her pokemon to attack, Yanmega fired a powerful a powerful prehistoric attack at Pikachu.

"Quick, buddy dodge the attack then use Thunderbolt," Ash commanded as the boulders missed Pikachu he prepared to unleash a powerful burst of electricity.

"Not so fast Ash, Yanmega stop Pikachu with Bug Buzz," Emily ordered her bug type pokemon, Yanmega unleashed a powerful shockwave at Pikachu preventing him from unleashing his Thunderbolt, "this battle is mine," Emily declared as Pikachu slowly tried to get up, "amazing this small pokemon is very resilient," Emily admitted with a smile as Pikachu tried to keep balance.

"Ash, no you have to win," Salvia said as the realization of Ash being defeated started to set in, "come on Ash, don't give up!" Salvia yelled trying to cheer Ash over the line, she spotted Ash cracking a smile, 'Ash, please win this,' Salvia thought while clasping her hands together and closing her eyes.

"Silver Wind to end this Battle now," Emily ordered her pokemon with certainty. The ogre darner pokemon sent forth a powerful silver gale towards Pikachu.

"Pikachu, Volt Tackle to dodge then to hit it," Ash ordered with a smile, Pikachu charged up a yellow aura and ran away from the Silver Wind attack, Yanmega's attack followed Pikachu until Pikachu slammed into Yanmega with all his might.

Pikachu jumped back panting while Yanmega hit the ground unable to battle from the powerful hit, "amazing, I got beaten in this battle," Emily declared as Pikachu hit the ground from exhaustion, Emily recalled her pokemon and walked up to Ash with a wide grin, "not bad at all, you have been deemed worthy of this Hive Pin," Emily declared with a smile while handing Ash the pin.

Salvia walked up to Ash with a proud smile on her face, "congratulations Ash, I thought you had lost it for a while there," Salvia said as relief set in.

Ash looked over to the Princess with a smile, "well if you weren't cheering for me in that battle I would have definitely lost the battle," Ash confessed happily while looking at the pin, "thanks for cheering for me," Ash said thankfully causing Salvia's face started to change color after Ash's word, Ash was about to thank Emily for the pin but she wasn't there to thank her for the battle, "I guess she needed to heal her pokemon for the next challenger," Ash said with a smile before placing the pin in his jacket.

Salvia regained her composure and started to think about Ash's pokemon, "Ash, what are we going to do, your pokemon are completely tired after the battle," Salvia told Ash with concern.

"It's fine Salvia, I got a few Full Restores, to heal our pokemon with if they get too hurt during the battles we have," Ash confessed with a smile, he called out his pokemon and started to use the items he brought on them

Salvia looked up through the canopy of the forest and noticed that the sun was starting to set, "Ash, we will not make out of this forest tonight," Salvia pointed out with a frown.

Ash stopped healing the pokemon and allowed them to rest for a while, "well since it will take a while for my pokemon to heal up, we can spend the night here and camp again," Ash said with a smile much to the disappointment of the princess, "don't worry Salvia this will be a better experience than last time, instead of sleeping on rocky ground which I also hated, we will be sleeping on the forest floor," Ash pointed out happily.

Ash set up the camp and gathered the wood he need to heat up the pot he bought along, Ash placed Water in the pot and put it over the fire, "what are you doing Ash?" Salvia asked in curiosity, she watched as Ash placed the ingredients in the pot carefully and stirred it around with great care.

"Salvia, I am cooking dinner," Ash replied with a smile.

After about an hour of preparing the dinner, Ash gave the pokemon some food, "Salvia, call out your Dratini, I am certain that it wouldn't want to miss out on dinner," Ash told the princess with a grin, Salvia called out the dragon type pokemon and Ash placed a bowl of pokemon food in front of it, it ate the food happily before resting next to the princess, "here, eat up," Ash said while handing a bowl of food to the princess.

Ash ate his food with a smile, Salvia took a small amount not sure what it would be like, she placed the food in her mouth, she was lost for words to discover that Ash was a really good cook, "amazing, that is another thing I discover that you are good at," Salvia confessed with a grin.

After eating the dinner the duo sat down under a crescent moon and listened carefully, "Salvia, I remember in my first travel through the Sinnoh region there was a man by the name of Nando, he taught Dawn and me about the song of the forest, the sound of pokemon singing at night time," Ash pointed out.

Salvia listened as bug type pokemon started to sing, it echoed through the forest, Salvia closed her eyes and started to think about her family and how they were going, 'mom, dad and Colin, I am experiencing so much,' Salvia thought as she opened her eyes and looked at Ash, 'I am experiencing them with Ash,' Salvia thought happily before heading into her tent, 'Colin, I never admit things so easily, but I think you're right,' Salvia thought in confession.

"Good night Salvia," Ash said as he walked to his tent.

"Good night Ash," Princess replied with a smile, 'good night my love,' Salvia thought with a smile as she entered her tent to get some sleep.

Meanwhile outside the forest Jessie, James and Meowth were preparing the next step of their plan, "the king is almost in Vermilion City," James told his teammates as he pulled out a pokeball, "this new pokemon will give us a way to fire up their next day," James stated with a grin

"Yes tomorrow we will capture the princess as they exit from the other end of the forest," Jessie said while laughing in a crazed manner.

"Right and her uncle will not know what's hit him as out boss begins his plan," Meowth said with a smirk.

* * *

**Ash's first Pin battle ends in success, Salvia feelings for Ash is starting to grow, but will he find out? Or will he himself start to develop feelings for the princess? And Team Rocket has an ulterior motive what is it?**

**I hope you enjoyed the battle in this episode. I am looking at doing a pin battle every 4-6 episodes. I am also going to make them oblivious to each others feelings for one another because I think that will make it worthwhile if/when they do profess.**

**Next time episode 7: Arrival of New Rivals**


	7. Arrival of New Rivals

**Episode 7: Arrival of new Rivals**

_This episode I will reveal some not so new rivals for Ash, but some new ones for Salvia. Some of the other rivals will not be appearing just yet._

_Paul: 18_

_Trip: 16_

_Brock: 25_

_Zoey: 18_

_Solidad: 23_

_Disclaimer: I don't own pokemon._

* * *

After a good night's sleep Ash and Salvia packed their equipment, Ash walked over to his pokemon with a proud smile on his face, he looked over to the princess who called out her Dratini, "Ash, I am going to the lake front with Dratini for a moment," Salvia told Ash before walking to the lake. She didn't take long to reach the lake front the trees were surrounding the lake front with Dratini swimming in the water happily enjoying each minute of the swim, Salvia placed her arms around her legs and started to think, 'is it wrong for me to be in love with Ash? Even after traveling for seven days?' Salvia pondered with a frown

"Just don't go too far," Ash said while putting everything away but as he looked around the princess wasn't there to hear the words of advice. After putting the pots away, the sleeping bags and tents away Ash recalled his pokemon, "time for some more training," Ash said calmly while grabbing an item from his backpack.

While Ash was packing up Salvia continued to ponder about the situation she was in, she watched Dratini playing in the water, 'I should have known, Sir Colin knows me very well, he can tell if something is up and he knew,' Salvia thought with a smile, "he has already taught me so much about the world, but is there more that I need to know?" Salvia asked while looking up to see her reflection in the water which was soon replaced by an image of Ash, 'no its only been seven days, yet I can't stop thinking of him,' Salvia thought is anger while hitting the water with her hand.

Ash walked up to the Lake front to find the princess sitting there on her own while her starter pokemon was playing in the water, "Salvia, time to go, we are heading towards our next destination, we will stop at the exit of the forest to do some training," Ash told the princess who was still sitting there with her arms still wrapped around her legs. Ash walked up to her with concern, "Salvia, we need to go," Ash said calmly.

Salvia looked up with a smile on her face, Ash extended his hand to help her up but she refused to take his hand, "I can pick myself up," Salvia declared with a smile as she stood up, she recalled the small dragon type pokemon and started to walk in front of Ash, 'he shouldn't know, not yet anyway,' Salvia thought silently.

"She is acting odd Pikachu, I wonder why?" Ash asked his pokemon with a puzzled look on his face. Ash soon followed the princess to the middle of the forest.

Ash and Salvia stopped for a moment to sit down and have some lunch, "Ash, are we going to do some training?" Salvia asked as she pulled out her pokeball ready for battle, Ash nodded and got ready to battle the princess again, "please Ash, don't hold back this time," Salvia requested quietly.

Ash looked at the princess with a smile, "Pikachu time to help the princess train," Ash told his partner pokemon as the two trainers stood at respective ends of the road, Ash and Salvia looked at each other while she called out her Dratini, "Pikachu, Iron Tail," Ash called out for the first attack. Pikachu charged at the dragon type with the steel type move.

Salvia watched in amazement as the small yellow pokemon charged towards her, "Dratini, use Aqua Tail," Salvia instructed her pokemon, Dratini jumped into the air and spun around with its tail exuding water at the end, the two pokemon collided with their respective attack. Dratini landed in front of its trainer from the force of the attack while Pikachu landed next to Ash.

Ash let out a quick smile, "not bad Salvia, Dratini has shown some improvement," Ash told the princess happily, "Pikachu, use Electro Ball," Ash instructed his pokemon, Pikachu spun around as a ball of electricity was flung towards the dragon type pokemon.

"Dragon Pulse, now Dratini," Salvia instructed her pokemon in a hurry. Dratini prepared a powerful ball of energy before sending it towards the thunder type attack, the move collided with great force pushing the combatants back towards their respective trainers.

While the battle was going on between Ash and Salvia a sudden flight of pokemon flew through the battle, Ash tried to reach the princess but there were too many pokemon, Ash looked around trying to find out what was going on, "odd the pokemon are scared of something," Ash said with a grimace, Ash continued his effort to try and reach Salvia but there was no luck on his behalf, Ash tried to peer through the wall of panicking pokemon to see if Salvia was around "Salvia, are you alright? Where are you?" Ash asked in urgency while trying to get through the crowd of pokemon.

While Ash was busy trying to get through the wall of bug, Salvia was pushed away from her where she was standing, the bug, flying and grass type pokemon continued to run and fly to safety pushing Salvia further away, Salvia recalled her Dratini while trying to avoid the swarm of pokemon, "this is strange, it was silent a while ago," Salvia told herself while waiting for the pokemon to stop. It was then that Salvia heard a noise that caused the pokemon to go wild in panic, she saw that some of the trees were on fire, "what? We were just there a little while ago," Salvia stated with a frown.

Just as Salvia was about to run towards Ash she was knocked down by a powerful flying type, the egg was on the ground next to her, the fire was starting to get closer as the pokemon started to stop emanating from the direction of the fire, Salvia tried to pick herself up but was hurting from the force of the impact. She looked up and spotted the flames getting closer, dancing in the canopy, "Ash, where are you?" Salvia asked as she looked across the road to find that Ash wasn't there.

Ash ran finally found the Princess laying on the path, Ash looked up to find there was a branch starting to break above the princess, Ash quickly ran towards her and picked her up while Pikachu snagged the pokemon egg before the branch fell on her, "are you alright?" Ash asked calmly while carrying her. Ash turned around to find the flames getting closer, "well there goes our training," Ash said calmly while trying to run with the young royal in his grasp.

Salvia remained silent while in Ash's arms, 'Ash saved me again, I am in his arms,' Salvia thought as a the heat of the flames encroached, Salvia looked up to see Ash showing signs of exhaustion, "Ash, I will be fine," Salvia explained with a smile.

Ash put Salvia back on the ground but she hit the ground again as a sharp feeling pulsed through her leg, "Salvia, are you alright?" Ash asked with concern as he knelt down next to the princess, "I will help you out," Ash declared with a smile before picking up the princess again. Ash looked back to see the flames getting closer to the duo, Ash called out Lucario to help Pikachu carry the egg, "Lucario, you take the pokemon egg. Pikachu, you get on my shoulders," Ash told his pokemon as he ran away from the flames with Salvia in his arms.

While Ash was running from the fire which was starting to intensify, Ash looked back getting tired from not only carrying the princess but from the intense heat of the flames, "Ash, I will walk the rest of the way, you're too tired," Salvia said in concern but Ash wasn't listening he was too busy wanting to escape with their lives intact, "Ash, please listen to me, I will be fine," Salvia stated in increasing panic.

Ash looked into the princess's eyes with steely determination, "I promised Colin that I would protect you, I promised you that I would keep you safe," Ash declared while collapsing to the ground from exhaustion, "there is no way I am going to leave you behind," Ash proclaimed as he willed himself up, he took step after step while the princess looked in shock as Ash continued to push through to the exit of the forest.

She looked away in guilt submitting the fact that Ash was determined to keep her safe no matter what, 'why is he going this far to save me?' Salvia asked herself she looked over Ash's shoulder noticing the flames were getting closer and higher.

Ash looked up and saw the forest exit, "there it is," Ash said while panting, Lucario was holding the egg, Ash approached the exit of the forest and noticed that people with water type pokemon were starting to fight off the flames, Ash placed the princess on the ground before collapsing himself, "that….was….so close," Ash said tiredly he looked over to the princess who was smiling, suddenly Salvia wrapped her arms around the trainer much to his shock, "Salvia, what are you doing?" Ash asked in shock.

"Thank you for helping me out," Salvia said thankfully as she started to cry in joy.

"How touching, so glad you two could make it," said a familiar male voice as he burst out into laughter.

Ash and Salvia looked up to see Jessie, James and Meowth standing in front of the, "yes now, princess you will come with us to Vermillion City," Jessie said with a smile, "we set the forest on fire to lure you out," Jessie confessed as the panicked masses did everything to fight the fire.

Ash slowly got up and glared at the Rocket Trio, "no, she stays with me," Ash explained in anger while struggling to keep his balance.

Salvia looked up in shock as she watched Ash who was now very tired trying to hold off the rockets and prevent them from capturing her, 'Ash,' Salvia called his name out in thought. Salvia slowly picked herself up and pulled out her pokeball, "I will never forgive you three for what yout have done," Salvia declared in anger as a new determined look appeared on her face.

Ash looked over his shoulder to see the resolve in the princess's eyes, "Salvia, you're hurt," Ash said while Salvia limped to stand next to a tired Ash.

Jessie and James burst into laughter as the pulled out their pokeballs ready to battle the duo, "so little princess are you ready to meet your uncle?" James asked the young royal. "Heatmor, let's go," James called out a pokemon colored mostly orange with flame like patterns over its body, "you don't stand a chance," James decreed with a smirk

"That's right, this is what we were hoping for, your knight is too exhausted to battle us princess, it is only a matter of time before he collapses," Jessie pointed out while Ash continued to keep standing, "go Seviper," Jessie called out a large black coiled serpent pokemon with a sword like tail, "it's only a matter of time before we win," Jessie declared with a smirk.

"You will not get the princess, she is my responsibility and there is no way I will let her out of my sight, I promised someone that I would protect her," Ash hissed back while pulling out one of his pokeballs, Salvia watched as Ash got ready to battle the rockets, "Emboar, I choose you," Ash called out his powerful fire type pokemon.

Salvia witnessed Ash fall to one knee again, "Dratini, please help out," Salvia called out her pokemon nervously.

The two teams stood opposite each other glaring, "Emboar, Use Brick Break on Heatmor," Ash called out for the first attack of the battle against Team Rocket. Emboar charged towards the intended target with a raised fist glowing white.

"Dratini, Dragon Pulse on Seviper," Salvia called out the next attack. Dratini charged up a ball of energy and got ready to fire it at the fang snake pokemon.

"Heatmor, counter Brick Break with Slash," James commanded his fire type pokemon to charge towards the incoming Emboar, the two attack collided with magnificent force pushing the two pokemon back slightly.

"Seviper, use Poison Tail on that pitiful little dragon," Jessie ordered her pokemon coldly, Seviper dodged the Dragon Pulse attack and launched a powerful poison type attack on Dratini, the poison move landed dealing significant damage to the small pokemon, Jessie looked at the small pokemon and smirked as the status problem started to effect the dragon type pokemon, "seems like your Dratini is poisoned," Jessie stated happily.

Ash let out a quick grin, "you know Dratini has a special ability," Ash stated tiredly while watching Dratini's skin shed from its body, "it's called Shed Skin, it heals the pokemon with that ability of any status problems," Ash pointed out with a tired smile.

"Don't get over confident twerp, we still have the advantage, you look ready to collapse anytime," James said with a smirk.

Salvia looked towards Ash with great concern, "Ash, don't push yourself, I will be fine," Salvia told Ash with a frown.

"Yes, don't push yourself, just hand over the princess," Meowth told the tired pokemon, but Ash placed his arm in front of the princess to prevent them from getting any closer.

Salvia watched while Ash stood between her and the foes, "Ash, you're still very tired from carrying me out of the forest fire, but you are still going to battle for my sake," Salvia whispered.

"Emboar, attack with Flamethrower," Ash called out his next attack. Emboar threw a powerful burst of flames at the opposing pokemon as Ash continued to struggle to stay up, the opposing pokemon dodged the incoming fire attack with ease and got ready to attack the mega fire pig pokemon, "I am not giving up," Ash declared tiredly, "Emboar, use Fire Pledge," Ash called out for yet another attack, Emboar punched the ground sending forth a powerful eruption of flames towards the opposing pokemon.

Salvia watched while trying to bring up the courage to try and order an attack, finally Salvia built up enough courage to stand next to Ash again, "Dratini, use Dragon Breath," Salvia ordered her dragon type pokemon to attack, Dratini sent out a powerful burst of green flames towards the opposing pokemon but they were too quick and dodged the attack with considerable ease.

The three rockets started laughing at the duo who was struggling to keep up with Team Rocket, "when did they become so good?" Ash asked himself in annoyance.

"We trained hard for revenge, we trained harder for our boss for when the would come, we would rise again and princess your uncle is the one to thank for all of this, he thinks he is using us, well he is wrong we are using him for the funds he gave us," Jessie pointed out with a malicious grin. "Seviper, use Poison Tail," Jessie ordered her powerful pokemon, the poison type charged towards the mighty fire type with its poison filled tail before slashing down with immense power.

"I will not let you guys do as you please," Salvia declared with anger, "Dratini, use Aqua Tail," Salvia called out for her dragon's next attack, the small dragon curled up and slammed down a powerful whirlpool of water coming from its tail, the rocket's pokemon took the powerful hit pushing their pokemon away from Ash's Emboar, "I will not let you hurt Ash, because he is my….. best friend," Salvia declared with anger.

Ash looked over his shoulder to see Salvia standing her ground, Ash soon turned his gaze to her dragon pokemon who was now starting to glow after her declaration, it grew longer until the glowing stopped to reveal a pokemon darker in color with a single horn and a blue orb under its head and two more near the tip of its tail, "Dragonair," Ash said before collapsing to the ground from exhaustion.

"One down, now to finish you off young royal," James declared as his pokemon got up and spat out flames to show its readiness to finish this battle while Seviper slithered next to its teammate, "surrender now, or pay the price," James ordered the princess who was now fighting on her own.

Salvia looked at her newly evolved dragon pokemon, then turned her gaze to a tired Ash, his Emboar looked at her for a moment and smiled at her, "no I will not surrender, I will show you how good I am," Salvia declared with anger, "for me, for," Salvia started as she looked down at Ash, "for Ash," Salvia declared her intentions as the two pokemon stood between her and Team Rocket like Ash has already done on two occasions, "Dragonair, use Dragon Breath," Salvia commanded her pokemon with great confidence, "Emboar, use Flamethrower," Salvia called out the attack while assuming command of Ash's fire type pokemon.

The two pokemon sent out a burst of flames at the enemy pokemon, the two moves slammed into the opposing pokemon pushing them away from Ash and Salvia, "she's good," James said as one of their phones started to ring, "Jessie, Meowth we need get out of here," James instructed his friends, they used the flames and made their get away from the battle after recalling their pokemon.

Salvia approached a tired Ash and knelt down next to him, "Ash, are you alright?" Salvia asked in concern while turning him on his back, she took one of his pokeballs and recalled the fire type pokemon, she looked over to Lucario who was still holding onto Salvia's pokemon egg, "how do I get him away from here?" Salvia asked while standing back up to look around.

Salvia continued to look around until a man with purple hair wearing a blue and black jacket with grey pair of jeans and blue sneakers, "Dawn, what are you doing here? And why are you with my rival?" The man asked in annoyance as he approached the two, "I thought you were in Johto while I was traveling in the Kanto region again," he said with anger.

"My name isn't Dawn, I am Princess Salvia," the young bluenette introduced herself with a frown much to the man's shock.

"I am Paul, no time to explain we need to get Ash to Brock, there is a situation that is unfolding throughout this region," Paul declared with a serious look on his face, 'this Salvia must be a doppelganger, their similarities are uncanny,' Paul thought to himself as he and Salvia dragged Ash to the middle of the city while Lucario was holding onto the egg and Pikachu was looking out in every direction.

Salvia helped Paul take Ash to the pokemon gym to meet with Brock, 'he is so serious, nowhere near as sociable as Ash is,' Salvia thought to herself while looking at the ground in shame, 'he has done so much for me, why do I rely on him so much to protect me? Why is it that I can't get any stronger?' Salvia continued to question herself.

"S-Salvia," Ash called out tiredly as we approached a large building.

Paul looked at his rival for a moment and looked at the opening doors of the gym, after the doors opened a man with spikey brown hair and squinty eyes appeared, "Dawn, it's great to see you again," the man said with a smile.

"Sir Brock, nice to see you again," Salvia said with a smile, Brock looked in shock as he recognized that mannerism.

"Princess Salvia, what are you doing here? And why is Ash out cold?" Brock asked in concern.

The duo helped Ash onto a couch in the lounge of the gym, Salvia grabbed a seat and sat next to Ash while Lucario placed the egg on the table, Salvia grabbed the aura pokemon's pokeball and returned it for a rest, she looked over to Pikachu who was equally concerned with Ash's wellbeing, "he protected me again, why do I rely on him so much?" Salvia asked over and over again.

She looked at her X-transceiver and started to think about what Colin told her, 'Colin, I just don't know what to think anymore. Am I really drawn to Ash?' Salvia thought to herself while Brock approached her, "Sir Brock, why is Ash so strong as a trainer?" Salvia asked her friend with tears starting to flow down her cheeks.

Brock looked at Ash who was now asleep from saving Salvia again, "it seems like he battles to prove how strong he is," Brock replied, "he competes against his strongest rivals to prove he is better than them," Brock said with pride.

Salvia looked over to Ash again, 'it's more than that, I know it,' Salvia thought to herself.

Brock sat on the couch opposite the trainer and then turned his gaze to the princess, "I thought you of all people would have stayed in your palace," Brock told the princess with a frown, "so why are you here? and why is Ash completely exhausted?" Brock barraged the princess with questions.

Salvia looked Ash again who was starting to wake up, "I am traveling with Ash to see the world, I am being chased by my dad and my uncle," Salvia confessed with a frown, "my dad is overprotective so I escaped the palace life style even for a short while," Salvia confessed with a smile.

"I see, but what of your uncle?" Brock asked seriously.

Salvia looked at her hands for a moment, "my uncle wants to kidnap me and use me as a scapegoat so he can take power away from my dad," Salvia told her friend, "Brock, can I talk to you somewhere in private for a moment?" Salvia asked her friend calmly.

Brock pointed to the stairs and walked to the flight of steps with the princess following, they walked up the steps and into a study room where there were books on the desk, "this is my study, I am studying to become a pokemon doctor," Brock confessed with a smile, "this is where I get the most quiet in the entire gym, even from the gym battles my younger brother would be having," Brock stated with a smile. "What do you need to tell me princess?" Brock asked calmly.

Salvia let out a huge sigh before closing her eyes, she opened them up and looked to the ground again, "Brock I have traveled with Ash for just over a week," Salvia confessed with a smile, "in that week, he has saved me from falling off a cliff, saved me again just recently from a wild fire caused by Team Rocket," Salvia said with pride.

"Team Rocket? I thought they disbanded three years ago after their defeat in the Unova region," Brock pointe out in shock to which Salvia nodded in disbelief, "seems like Ash is pushing himself too far," Brock pointed out with a sigh.

"That's another thing that concerns me Brock, I am concerned that Ash would fatigue himself by looking out for me constantly, he is training me, battling pin masters and stopping my uncle and Team Rocket from taking me away," Salvia pointed out their problems.

"I see, so Ash seems to be doing three things at once," Brock said while placing his hand on his chin, "you're right princess, Ash is pushing himself to unbelievable levels," Brock said with a concerned frown, "have you told him to slow down?" Brock asked the bluenette calmly, Salvia nodded in response, "but he still continues to persist with fatiguing himself," Brock said with concern, 'I think there is more to why Ash is going this far to protect her,' Brock pondered quietly, "Princess Salvia, I need to spend some time to think about what you were saying," Brock said calmly before the princess walked out of the room.

Before Salvia closed the door she turned her gaze back to Brock, "I haven't admitted this to Ash yet," Salvia started with a smile, Brock looked up as the princess started to hold her hand close to her heart, "I think I am concerned for Ash's safety," Salvia told Brock much to his great surprise, Salvia closed the door leaving a shocked Brock to ponder even more as to what is happening.

Brock sat there to think about Salvia's concerns, he started to cry, 'why me? I never get the girl, I always have Misty or Max drag me away or Croagunk Poison Jab me when I am hitting on the women,' Brock said while dropping his head in shame, "but Ash without any effort gets a woman to fall in love with him," Brock said while clenching his fist in the air, this continued until it came to him, "wait a second can it be true?" Brock thought out loud, "can it be true that Ash likes Salvia?" Brock asked in shock. "It all fits, Ash protecting the princess, risking his own life to save her, and training her to make her stronger," Brock said as a proud smile appeared on his face, 'Ash loves the princess, but with his pride he wouldn't admit it,' Brock thought happily, 'I think it would be best for them to admit it to each other,' Brock thought as he exited the room.

While Brock was thinking things through, Paul entered the lounge room with a another male with short blonde hair and two women one with long pink hair wearing a brown t-shirt and brown short with black boots and another with short dark red hair wearing a purple jumper with an orange vest and blue jeans walked into the room.

Ash opened his eyes to find that his friends were sitting in the room, "Paul, Trip, Zoey and Solidad?" Ash questioned as he looked around to try and find Salvia, 'Salvia, I failed,' Ash thought before hearing footsteps coming from the entrance of the lounge room.

Salvia looked at the couch where Ash was slowly picking himself up, 'Ash, he is alright, thank goodness,' Salvia thought as a smile appeared on her face, Salvia looked around to find that other people were sitting in the lounge room, "and who are these people?" Salvia questioned.

"My name is Trip a pokemon trainer from the Unova region, I came to the Kanto region through the recommendation of Ash Ketchum," Trip introduced himself calmly.

"I am Solidad, a pokemon coordinator and rival of Dawn and May," the pink haired woman introduced herself with a smile, "and secret admirer of Brock Harrison," Solidad said with a wink.

"I am Zoey from the Sinnoh region, I am rival of Dawn," Zoey introduced herself with a smile.

Salvia looked around as the friends sat on the seats in the lounge room, "my name is Princess Salvia, I aspire to be a coordinator," Salvia introduced herself with a smile as the friends almost fell out of their seats after hearing the young bluenette was a royal.

Ash sat up quietly allowing Salvia to sit down with their friends looking in amazement, "hello guys, nice to see you all again," Ash said with a nervous smile.

"I am not interested in formalities, I am here to renew my rivalry with you Ash," Paul said before leaving the room, "just be sure that you are better then you were in the Sinnoh League, so I can have that satisfaction of beating you in the Master's League," Paul told Ash coldly.

"I agree, just make sure the defeat you handed me in the Unova League wasn't a fluke alright," Trip told Ash with a smirk. Ash nodded in response as the two rivals renewed their rivalry against Ash.

Solidad and Zoey looked at Salvia with a smile on their faces, "we aren't as cold as those two were to Ash, but we would be happy to be your rival, you will meet many more after this meeting," Solidad told the princess with a grin, "just be sure to do your best," Solidad said with a grin.

"Yes that's right, just enjoy the experience," Zoey said happily before sitting down in front of the TV to find that a young brunette was competing in the Grand Festival against a man with short green hair. "Those two are at it again?" Zoey asked in disbelief.

"Well that is May and Drew for you," Solidad said with a smile.

Ash and Salvia watched the contest battle on the TV, Salvia watched in amazement that Ash's friends were battling it out in another region, they watched as they counted each others moves seamlessly, not missing a beat, "wow, those two are amazing," Salvia said in shock as the lead continued to fluctuate between May and Drew.

"Salvia, these are the types of opponents you are going to face," Ash told the princess calmly as he watched the battle draw to a conclusion.

* * *

**Now that Salvia has discovered what type of opponents she will be facing, and admitting to her friend about her concerns for Ash.**

**How will Salvia prepare for a contest in just a few days? Will she catch a new pokemon in time? And what does Team Rocket have in store for Ash and Salvia?**

**Next time episode 8: Salvia's catches a pokemon.**

_Please let me know what you think of this story so far, by reviewing, is there some stuff that needs to be addressed or is it awesome as is._

_Team change:_

_Salvia: Dragonair and Eevee egg_

_The only implies that she catches a pokemon without the help of Ash._


	8. Salvia catches a Pokemon

**Episode 8: Salvia catches a Pokemon.**

_I hope you all enjoy this episode, I will try to ease up on some of the moments for a few episodes and start to get into some of the more serious parts of the story. _

_Dawn: 16_

_Disclaimer: pokemon doesn't belong to me._

* * *

At the end of Diglett Cave, King Brian and his guards were sitting down to think about their plan of action, Colin was thinking about his meeting with Ash and Salvia who were now in the next city as they got further away, the sun was rising over the ocean that separated them from their home land, 'sorry King Brian, but I had to lie to you,' Colin thought with disappointment as he got ready to call out his flying type pokemon Chatot, "seems like I am in a bit of a spot of bother here, I know I can trust Ash, but I have to protect the king," Colin told his pokemon.

"Sir Colin, how are you holding up?" the king asked with a concerned look on his face.

Colin turned his gaze to the king and let out a quick sigh, "I still can't believe I missed them, they were so close," Colin lied to the king with a frown, "the nurse of the Pokemon Center, said she never saw them," Colin continued to lie to his king.

The king placed his hand on his hips and let out a deep sigh, "well I will meet up with my brother very soon, then we will find out about my daughter," the king said with assurance.

"But sire what if your brother is lying? You know he would do anything to get power from you," Colin enquired with even more concern.

"Don't worry Sir Colin, once we get my daughter back, I will take her home where she will be guarded twenty four hours a day every day," Brain declared with anger as he walked away towards the camp again, 'there was no point using Latios, people would have gotten suspicious,' the king thought while looking at the pokeball contain the pokemon symbol of his family.

Colin watched as the king moved towards his camp, 'keeping you daughter under surveillance for the rest of her life, is just wrong,' Colin thought with a frown while shaking his head, he turned back to watch the sunrise and started to think about what it was like before he got the job as a palace guard, "life was definitely more interesting when we were traveling, isn't that right Chatot?" Colin asked his pokemon while reminiscing his past journeys.

"Life more interesting," Chatot repeated calmly causing Colin to smile at his pokemon, he pulled out the Beacon Badge and looked at it for a second as the musical note pokemon perched on his shoulder, "life more interesting when traveling," Chatot repeated over and over again.

"Being appointed personal guard has sort of stopped me from competing in the Pokemon League," Colin told himself while putting the Beacon Badge back in his pocket, 'Ash, make sure Salvia experiences everything that life has to offer, books and tutors won't teach her that stuff,' Colin thought while turning back towards the camp, Chatot stood on Colin's shoulder while walked back to the camp site, "old friend, seems like there is plenty to do after we get the princess back," Colin told the parrot like pokemon.

While the camp was being packed up Christopher was standing at the entrance of Vermillion City with an evil grin on his face, "so my brother has finally made it this far," Chris stated with a smirk, "I wonder how he will react when he finds out about the fact that I only captured someone who looks like her," Chris said calmly as he looked back to see a young lady with long blue hair, wearing a pink skirt and boots, a white blouse and beanie with a pink pokeball design and a black vest, "you're friends to the princess aren't you? You look like her but in no way do you act like her," Chris said with a smirk before taking her to the center of the city.

"What is your goal?" Dawn asked in anger while being led by her captor, "you dragged me from the Hoenn Region and now you have this plan for Princess Salvia's father," Dawn said in anger.

Chris turned towards the coordinator with a dark smile on his face, "I am just seeing how far the king will go to get his daughter back," Chris confessed with a smirk, "will he give his brother the kingdom? Or will he sacrifice himself for a complete stranger?" Chris asked the young bluenette cryptically.

Dawn was shocked to hear the questions of this man and decided to think about what to do next, "you mean to tell me that you are Princess Salvia's uncle?" Dawn asked in astonishment, Salvia's uncle nodded with a grin, 'I need to get out of here, maybe I can get some help from Ash,' Dawn thought trying to keep calm.

Chris turned away from the look alike and started to laugh at her, "you must be thinking about the person that is traveling with her, I don't know his name, but he has spikey black hair, he wears blue jeans, a blue and white jacket and a red and white hat," Chris described the person to the captured coordinator, she stared in horror as her captor started to laugh at her, "I take it you know this person, well this could get interesting," Chris said with a smirk.

Dawn looked at the ground in sheer disappointment, 'Ash, why is the princess with you?' Dawn though as she started to think about how to escape capture, 'what am I supposed to do? Ash is in trouble and the princess is with him, what if the king thinks I am his daughter?" Dawn though in anger as she followed her friend's uncle.

"Don't worry too much, I am using you to get into the kings head, I just want to see his reaction when he finds out you're not his daughter," Dawn's captor confessed while enjoying the situation, "so far he has done what I expected him to do, he just keeps getting further and further away from the princess," Chris pointed out with a grin, "that means Team Rocket will capture the princess and hand her over to me," Chris stated his true plan to Dawn.

Dawn burst out into laughter after hearing his true plan for the first time, "do you expect Team Rocket to just hand Princess Salvia to you?" Dawn asked as her laughter continued, "you really are a fool, you have never had to deal with Team Rocket like I did when I started my journey," Dawn stated much to the surprise of Chris, they walked through the city with Dawn's captor now in deep thought about the new problem that has arisen without him knowing.

'Great, this young lady has dealt with Team Rocket before,' Chris thought as he tired Dawn to a tree, he sat down and pulled out a map of the region, 'seems like I have to do things personally,' Chris thought while punching the seat, he looked up to the tied up Dawn who was now grinning at Salvia' uncle who was now starting to lose his cool from the new occurrence, "I have a backup plan," Chris proclaimed as he started to regain his composure.

_(Just outside Pewter City)_

Ash and Salvia made it to the exit of Pewter City with the other friends and rivals going in the opposite direction, Ash shook hands with his new rival, "well Paul, I guess I will be seeing you as our journey continues," Ash said with a smirk, but Paul was far from happy as he looked at the direction of Johto, "Paul, is there a problem?" Ash asked with a frown.

"Yes there is Ash," Paul replied with a frown, "I have been trying to contact Dawn for the last three days and yet I haven't had any luck," Paul explained with anger.

Ash and Salvia looked at each other and started to think about what might have happened, 'what, that's definitely not like Dawn,' Ash thought as he placed his hand on his chin, "I will find out what is going on," Ash said while preparing to leave the city behind, "Salvia, it's time to go," Ash called over to the princess who was now deep in thought.

Salvia looked at Ash for a moment and continued to think even more, 'what is Dawn was captured, we do look alike,' Salvia thought as concern for her friend's safety started to appear on her face, "Ash, I have a bad feeling about what has happened to Lady Dawn," Salvia confessed with a little sorrow, "don't you think that it's a little strange that she has been captured by my uncle?" Salvia asked in curiosity.

The two continued to walk to their next destination, Ash started to think about the situation that Paul was in and the connection between the princess, 'seems like Salvia is right, Dawn does look like her, but how did they get to Vermillion in three days?' Ash asked in thought as another thing started to come to mind, 'wait a second, Dawn was in Johto so that means the high speed train from Goldenrod City to Safferon City can get you to Kanto very quickly,' Ash thought while walking ever closer to a large mountain.

"Ash what are you thinking about?" Salvia asked but Ash just ignored her for a moment, "Ash, I know you're thinking about something, just tell me what it is," Salvia demanded with growing anger.

Ash finally noticed that Salvia was asking Ash a question and looked at her with a frown, "seems like Dawn had just left the high speed train in Saffron City when she met up with your uncle, she was captured then tied up to prevent escape, after that she was forced to travel to Vermillion City since that is where the ambush is," Ash pointed out.

"Yes but Ash, what if it was a coincidence?" Salvia asked calmly.

Ash and Salvia made it to the entrance of Mount Moon, "Salvia, we need to remember that Dawn is your Doppelganger, so it's easy to confuse her for you," Ash explained calmly as he turned his gaze to the mountain in front of the duo, "the only difference between you two is mannerisms and appearance," Ash pointed out as he pointed to the clothes that Salvia was wearing, "your father saw that you were wearing this outfit, but Dawn is wearing her normal attire," Ash explained with a grin, "so by having you wear something different the king will know that Dawn isn't his daughter," Ash said confidently.

Salvia looked at the confident Ash and shrugged her shoulders, "I am not sure about that Ash, my dad will only see Dawn as a young person with beautiful blue hair, like me, the same age as me, he is so overprotective that he would overlook mannerisms," Salvia stated with a frown, "doesn't matter what we wear we are still very similar, my uncle knows that as well," Salvia stated with sadness as the two decided to sit down for a break.

Ash sat down and thought about what Dawn had gotten herself into, "great now another of my friends is in danger," Ash said with a frown, he prepared the food for the princess and him to eat, he placed the food in bowls for the pokemon to have, Ash looked over to Salvia and started to think about what she was saying, 'Salvia is right, there is no comparison Dawn and Salvia do look alike regardless of how different their clothing is,' Ash thought while making the final preparations on the lunch for them, he watched as Salvia started to practice her routine with the pokemon contests.

"That's right Dragonair, use Aqua Tail," Salvia called out for the for the water attack just as she threw a Frisbee, the water attack sent the Frisbee spinning into the air at an astonishing rate, Ash watched as the training continued, "good job Dragonair," Salvia applauded her dragon type.

"Not bad, always good to do something basic," Ash explained as he handed Salvia her lunch, "once we save Dawn maybe she can teach you some stuff about appealing your pokemon," Ash promised camly.

Salvia looked at the trainer in a confused manner while eating the sandwiches, Ash soon placed the food for the pokemon on the ground and started to eat his lunch, "Ash, what do you mean by saving Dawn?" Salvia asked with uncertainty.

Ash looked at the mountain and continued to think about the promise he made to Dawn, "Salvia, I made a promise to Dawn a while ago, but our roads lead to different paths," Ash explained while trying to not answer Salvia's question, "I intend to save her because she is in danger like you," Ash said with a smile.

"You still like her don't you Ash?" Salvia enquired while looking at her food, Ash looked at Salvia confused with the question that was asked. "It's alright Ash; I am a royal so I can't expect anything more right?" Salvia asked her traveling companion, Salvia finished her lunch and walked to the entrance of Mount Moon.

"Salvia, don't go too far," Ash told the princess but his words were not heard by her, 'I think I upset her,' Ash thought as guilt started to set in, "I am wanting to save Dawn because she is a very close friend, plus Paul wouldn't approve anyway," Ash told Pikachu with uncertainty, Ash started to pet his starter pokemon and looked towards the entrance of the cave only to see Salvia enter the mountain on her own, "Pikachu, do you know what's going on?" Ash asked his pokemon with a frown.

Ash looked over to Salvia's starter pokemon, "Dragonair, you alright?" Ash asked the large blue pokemon who was upset about Salvia's sudden change in character, "right, Dragonair can sense when something is wrong," Ash told himself while recalling his pokemon, "Come you two we need to catch up to the princess," Ash told the two pokemon after picking up the pokemon egg.

After entering the mountain Ash spotted Salvia sitting at one end of the cave with her head covered by her arms and resting on her knees, 'Salvia, what's the matter?' Ash asked himself while keeping his distance.

"What am I thinking? Did I just get jealous of Dawn's connection with Ash?" Salvia kept asking herself while starting to cry, "why is that I wish I wasn't a royal?" Salvia asked while tears started to flow down her face, the princess lifted her head up and spotted a pink pokemon with a star shape on its back and an innocent face, "what pokemon are you?" Salvia asked as she gingerly pulled out her pokedex.

The pokedex opened up and started to give the princess information about the pokemon in front of her, "Clefairy, a pokemon that avoids contact with humans, very friendly and cute pokemon that has given it many admirers," the pokedex recited the information.

"Clefairy ha? This one seems lonely," Salvia said quietly as she walked up to the fairy pokemon, she gently placed her hand on the timid pokemon and started to pet it, "you know I think I made a mistake coming here alone, I don't have my starter pokemon here," Salvia told the sweet pokemon with a smile as tears continued to stream down her face.

Ash looked over to Dragonair and pointed towards the princess, "Dragonair, can you please help the princess out?" Ash asked the dragon type before hiding behind the rock to make sure the princess didn't suspect him watching her catch her first pokemon, "I don't know what's going on," Ash confessed quietly.

Dragonair approached its trainers and got ready to battle the fairy pokemon, "did Ash send you over?" Salvia asked as she dried up her tears, "I can't rely on Ash to help me all the time," Salvia said as she looked at the pink pokemon with determination, 'I hope you're watching Ash,' Salvia thought as she closed her eyes.

"Salvia, Clefairy are a very rare pokemon, if you catch it you will have achieved something that I couldn't do seven years ago," Ash told himself while keeping an eye on the young royal.

'I can't expect Ash to love me just yet, maybe I just have to earn it,' Salvia thought as she got ready to battle the pokemon in front of her, "Dragonair, Aqua tail," Salvia called for the first attack of the battle, Dragonair spun around as water pulsed from its tail, the water slammed into the fairy pokemon pushing it back.

The fairy pokemon fell back and started to wriggle its fingers, "what is that move?" Salvia asked in curiosity.

The pokedex activated and started to give information about what was happening, "Metronome, a move that causes the user to use a different move at random," the pokedex recited the information.

"So it will be a different move at all times," Salvia said trying to keep calm, she waited until the small pokemon finished waving its fingers, a sudden breeze of cold air slammed into the dragon pokemon, "Icy Wid," Salvia said while gritting her teeth as the opposing pokemon got ready to attack, this time it launched itself at the dragon type and started to hit it with both its hands, "Double Slap," Salvia said knowingly.

'Come on Salvia, you can do it,' Ash though as the fairy type landed back on the area it was standing before.

Salvia glared at the normal type with her dragon type getting ready to take another command, "Dragonair, use Dragon Breath," Salvia told her pokemon to attack, Dragonair pushed its head back before unleashing a powerful stream of green flames at Clefairy, the attack landed dealing great damage to the fairy pokemon.

The normal type hit the ground with arches of lightning jumping from its body, 'now is the time Salvia, throw the pokeball,' Ash said in thought.

The princess got a pokeball ready and threw it at the injured pokemon, the pokeball began to wobble from side to side, "come on, please be captured," Salvia said as the pokeball continued to move, she didn't notice Ash watching the pokeball move from side to side, "please be mine," Salvia pleaded as the pokeball stopped move and made the noise she was waiting for to confirm her capture of the rare pokemon.

'Nicely done Princess,' Ash silently congratulated the princess as he sat down and the last sandwich.

Salvia picked up the newly capture pokemon and celebrated her capture of the newest member of her team , "yes I captured Clefairy," Salvia said happily as she jumped around with joy only to stop to hear a round of applause near the entrance of the mountain, she looked around to see Ash standing there with a smile, "Ash, how long have you been there for?" Salvia asked in shock while Ash approached her.

"I was there long enough to watch you capture a rare pokemon," Ash confessed with a smile, Ash got closer to Salvia as she looked down at the mountain floor, "Salvia, no need to be upset," Ash said with a calming smile.

Salvia brought her gaze back to Ash, "Ash, I am sorry for asking you a stupid question," Salvia apologetically said with a frown.

Ash started laughing for a moment, "what the question? Don't worry about it so much, I don't hold grudges, but if you want to know Dawn and I are just really close friends and I would do anything to save my friends even you," Ash confessed with a proud smile while giving the princess the pokemon egg, after handing over the egg to the princess it started to glow brightly, "amazing, it's happening," Ash said while he took the egg and placed it on the ground removing the glass dome.

Salvia looked at the egg and started to become more interested in the more frequent glowing, Ash removed the pokeball from the top of the glass and handed it to Salvia, "what happens next?" Salvia asked with interest as the egg started to take the shape of a small brown pokemon with white fur around its neck.

"An Eevee," Ash said with a proud smile, "two pokemon in a matter of minutes," Ash said as Salvia started to cry for joy, she tapped the Eevee on the head capturing her newest member, "so Salvia, now that you have a few pokemon, how about after exiting Mount Moon we do some more training?" Ash enquired with a grin.

"Yes Ash,I need some training, we need to help our friend out," Salvia said with a smile as the two started to walk through the mountain, "I just hope we aren't too late," Salvia said calmly as Ash began to think about a way to get there without being too late, "Ash, what are you thinking about?" Salvia asked the pokemon trainer.

"I will ring up the professor to see if Charizard is able to fly, we can get there fast if we fly," Ash pointed out with a smirk, "we run the risk of bumping into your dad, but he would be too busy with your uncle right?" Ash asked the princess while walking through the cave.

"That's right Ash, but we need to help Lady Dawn out, so we need to take the risk," Salvia pointed out quietly as the two slowly moved on.

"You know Salvia on certain nights Clefairy go to a certain point on the mountain to dance around a huge rock, called the moon rock," Ash stated knowingly, "how about I take you to that point, we might get to see a rarer pokemon then Clefairy," Ash said happily.

The two continued to walk through the mountain until they reached the other end of the cave, Ash pointed over to a small opening and silently walked over there with the princess following close behind, they hid for a moment and watched as more Clefairy started to appear, eventually the area was filled with small pink pokemon dancing around a large rock, Ash and Salvia watched in amazement as the rock started to glow, as the dancing picked up parts of the rock started to fly into the air, eventually small particles hit the fairy pokemon causing them to glow. As the glowing continued the ones affect by it grew taller and their wings larger while Ash and Salvia watched in amazement as the rare display started to reach its conclusion.

Ash looked at Salvia for a moment as she watched the display in wonderment, he couldn't help but stare at her bright smile that seemed to light up the dark night, 'wow her smile is nice,' Ash thought before looking away towards the display of the Clefairy and Clefable, 'what am I thinking?' Ash thought to himself.

Salvia continued to watch not noticing the trainer next to her, 'amazing, I have never seen something as cute as those pokemon,' Salvia thought to herself. She looked over to Ash who was starting to stand up and getting ready to walk to the next destination, "Ash, thanks for showing me this rare sight," Salvia said thankfully as she stood up and ran up to Ash.

Ash and Salvia walked on after the amazingly rare event proudly still not know what the other was thinking.

Salvia averted her gaze towards Ash who was still not noticing Salvia's red cheeks, 'Ash, one day I am going to tell you everything, how I feel about you is the most important thing to tell you,' Salvia thought while looking at Ash happily, she looked away while looking at the ground, 'but I don't know how you are going to take it, I am too nervous to find out,' Salvia thought as the lights of the next city started to brighten up the night sky, "Ash, what is this city called?" Salvia asked calmly.

Ash looked at the curious princess yet again, "this is Cerulean City, one of my friends is the gym leader of this city," Ash said with a proud grin, "before we go any further into the city we will need to rest at the Pokemon Center," Ash declared tiredly while walking into the middle of the city, he looked over to Salvia but found she was on the ground from sheer exhaustion, "we should've camped out tonight," Ash said in disbelief. Ash walked up to the princess who was now asleep and knelt down next to her, "we aren't too far away from the Pokemon Center," Ash said as he picked up the sleeping princess.

Ash walked up to the Pokemon Center entrance and placed the princess on the couch in the main foyer; he handed over his pokemon for a check and gave Nurse Joy Salvia's pokeballs so she could check up on her pokemon as well. "Is there anything else I can help you with?" Nurse Joy asked with a bright smile after handing over the pokeballs.

"Yes please, can I get two rooms please?" Ash asked as he walked over to the princess calmly, "well we do need some sleep, we did a trip that would take over a day to do in less than a day," Ash said while yawning. He picked up the princess again and carried her to one of the rooms requested, 'nine days, since you left the palace, you're starting to gain more experience in the world,' Ash thought while looking at Salvia sleeping in his arms.

After making it to her room he told his partner pokemon to switch on the light, he walked up to the bed, "Pikachu, can you please move the blankets?" Ash asked his partner pokemon, he placed her on the bed and then removed her backpack before placing it on the floor next to the bedside draw. After placing the bag on the floor he turned his gaze to the princess, he smiled at her and placed the blanket over her, 'there you go princess, next time I will slow down for you,' Ash thought as he walked out of the room and switched the light off, "good night princess," Ash said silently.

Ash walked to the main foyer to pick up the pokemon that were getting checked up before walking to his room, "tomorrow I will ring up mom to see how she is going," Ash said before sleepily walking to his room.

_(Near Vermilion City)_

Dawn was sleeping while tied up to a tree, she was starting to get cold until Chris walked up to her, "I can't afford to have my hostage to catch a cold," Chris said as he placed a blanket of the young coordinator, "too bad you two look alike, but it doesn't matter, when the king abdicates I will make sure that I will have more power than anyone," Chris said with a smirk.

"Paul and Ash where are you? Please I need help," Dawn said as tears started to roll down her face.

At the other side of the city King Brian and his men were starting to rest after making it to the, "soon I will bring my daughter home," the king decreed as he ate his food.

Colin looked towards the forest and started to get a bad feeling about the situation that was soon to take place, 'I have a bad feeling about this, something doesn't seem right,' Colin thought to himself while trying to keep calmly.

"Sir Colin, what's the matter?" Brian asked with concern etched on his face.

Colin looked at the king with a fake smile on his face, "nothing sire, I was just thinking how great it would be to bring you daughter home," Colin lied to the king again.

* * *

**Salvia's feelings for Ash is starting to take to a new level and the first confrontation between Ash and Salvia's uncle is set to occur, the King is getting closer to save his Daughter who is a complete stranger to him.**

**Will Ash and Salvia make it to Dawn in time? And will Charizard have recovered enough to help him in this battle?**

**Next time in Training the Princess: episode 9: Graceful Confrontations **

_Salvia's team: Dragonair, Eevee and Clefairy_


	9. Graceful Confrontations

**Episode 9: Graceful Confrontations.**

_The first of many confrontations between Ash and Christopher, I hope you like it._

_Misty: 18_

* * *

It was late in the morning at Cerulean City Ash walked up to the video phone while waiting for the princess to finish preparing for the next part of their travels in the Kanto region, Ash sat down and dialed home, while in front of the video phone he talked to his mother about the journey they were having so far, he next talked about the troubles they were having with Team Rocket and Salvia's uncle, "after that I caught up with some old rivals," Ash said proudly as his mother was cooking lunch for the day.

Ash's mother listened with intent as her son kept explaining some of the things they had experienced, "Wow Ash, that's great keep telling me more about your travels so far," Delia demanded happily.

Ash continued to talk to his mother before turning around to find Salvia approaching him, "we went and saw a rare sight at mount moon," Ash explained favorably, "Salvia even caught a Clefairy and her pokemon egg hatched into an Eevee," Ash said with a grin.

Salvia walked up to the video phone with uncertainty, she looked at it for a moment, "wow, I have never seen such a device," Salvia said with a smile, she took a closer look and found Ash's mother was on the phone, "impressive, there is a video of your mother Ash," Salvia pointed out.

Ash let out a small chuckle before standing up to allow the princess to take a turn, "Salvia, it's perfectly normal, this is just like our X-Transceivers," Ash stated with a smile with the device on his left wrist, "all you need to do is start talking," Ash directed calmly while walking off towards the café area of the Pokemon Center.

While her son was gone Delia started to talk to the Princess, "How has your travels been princess?" Delia asked warmly, "has my son been taking good care of you?" Delia asked another question, "and what do you think of the Kanto region?" Delia asked more and more questions.

Salvia listened to question after question that her friend's mother was asking her, "um, Lady Delia, my travels have been great so far, we have been chased by my uncle, my dad and Team Rocket," Salvia pointed out before turning her gaze back to Ash who was getting some food for her, "he has been taking good care of me, because I am a princess he has been trying extra hard to make sure nothing happens to me," Salvia explained happily as Ash started to pick up the food, "I love this region, or what I have seen of it so far," Salvia confessed positively.

"That's great to hear, so Ash has been a great tour guide," Delia said with a smile as Ash's mother turned over to a steaming pot, "make sure that you take care of him too, he can be a little reckless," Delia pointed out in laughter.

"I will do my best Lady Delia," Salvia promised as she looked back to see Ash place the food on the table, 'I will do my best,' Salvia thought as her face started to turn red.

Delia took a quick look at Salvia's face and spotted a shade of red over her cheeks, "Oh my, princess are you blushing?" Delia teased with a wide grin.

Salvia looked over back at the phone and shook her head, "no, no I am not," Saliva retorted trying to hide the evidence.

"My food is ready, just make sure that you and Ash stay safe," Delia told the princess before closing off the call between her and the travelers.

"Salvia, it's time to eat," Ash told the princess as she was sitting there thinking about what was asked of her by Ash's mother, "Salvia, you need food before we head off to Vermillion City," Ash explained as he walked over to the princess with some food in hand, he gave the plate of food to the princess she took it trying to avoid eye contact with the trainer, "don't want you to starve to death princess," Ash said with a grin.

Salvia looked away, "I told you not to call me princess," Salvia decreed with a hint of anger, she stood up and walked away from the trainrer to eat her food in quiet, while walking to the table she walked into a female with short orange hair with a pony tail, Salvia looked up to apologize but the person was in too much of a hurry, Salvia walked up to the person to apologize but the person walked up to the entrance.

"Salvia, don't go too far alright," Ash called over to the princess, Ash looked up again to see the red head turn around, "Misty, good to see you again," Ash said with a smile, he walked up to the gym leader calmly while Pikachu rested on his shoulders.

"Sorry for bumping into you," Salvia said nervously while standing next to Ash. "My name is Salvia, nice to meet you," Salvia introduced herself to the person she bumped into.

Misty looked at the princess for a moment and smiled, "don't worry, it was just as much my fault, I was in a hurry and wasn't watching where I was going," Misty explained with a smile.

"Misty, why are you in such a hurry?" Ash asked his former traveling companion.

Misty let out a sigh and drooped her head in shame, "Ash, the gym needs renovations because my sisters want it to stand out from the other gyms in this region," Misty pointed out with a frown, "I am planning on taking a vacation to catch more water type pokemon for the gym," Misty explained her plans as she started to walk out of the Pokemon Center, Misty turned around to see Ash and Salvia talking casually, "Ash, before I go Lt Surge has told me that there is a situation in Vermilion City that needs to be sorted out," Misty told the duo before walking to the gym.

Misty turned around to see Ash and Salvia laughing at a joke that Ash pulled a few seconds ago, 'who is that young lady?' Misty asked herself in curiosity before leaving for her vacation.

It had been just over an hour after meeting Misty, it was time for Ash and Salvia to leave the Pokemon Centerand Cerulean City to go and save their friend Dawn. Ash turned his gaze to the princess thinking about the problem that was unfolding in the next city, they looked around the city for a moment before reaching the battlefield to start another training session with their pokemon, Ash knew that the next battle would be a tough one so he needed to get the princess to become stronger, "come on Salvia, time to help your pokemon get stronger," Ash declared with confidence.

Salvia looked at the battlefield for a moment and nodded quietly, the two walked up to their respective sides of the battlefield and placed their bags next to them, "go Clefairy," Salvia called out her new pokemon to battle Ash.

"Pikachu, seems like you will have to battle," Ash directed his pokemon with a smile, Pikachu jumped towards the pink pokemon with sparks coming from his cheeks, "you ready Salvia?" Ash asked with sureness.

The princess bowed her head, "I am starting to get used to battling please don't hold back this time," Salvia requested with more confidence.

Ash let out a quick chuckle before letting out a command for his Pikachu, "Pikachu, use Thunderbolt," Ash commanded to start the training battle.

"Clefairy, use Light Screen," Salvia instructed as Pikachu charged up a powerful electric attack, as the electric attack approached the fairy pokemon, a barrier appeared to prevent Thunderbolt from doing significant damage, "Now Clefairy, use Metronome," Salvia decreed with increased confidence, the pink pokemon started to sway its fingers from side to side.

"Pikachu, use Volt Tackle," Ash called out for his next attack, the electric mouse pokemon charged at Clefairy with a thunderous aura, Pikachu slammed into the fairy type only for him to fly back towards Ash, "what just happened?" Ash asked in shock, the smoke cleared to see a gold aura around Clefairy, "Counter, not good Pikachu took some serious damage in that attack," Ash said in shock while the fairy pokemon started to pant from the force of Pikachu's powerful tackle.

"I was lucky that Clefairy used Counter with Metronome," Salvia sighed as her pokemon got ready to attack, she looked up to see Pikachu fawning over Clefairy, "what's happening?" Salvia asked in surprise.

Ash burst out into laughter while watching his starter pokemon acting attracted to Salvia's Clefairy, "Pikachu, got hit by Cute Charm," Ash explained while laughing even harder, Salvia looked on greatly perplexed at what was happening, "Cute Charm causes attraction on contact, if Pikachu is a male then that means Clefairy is a female," Ash said while laughing.

"So did I win this battle?" Salvia asked unsure of what was going on, Ash nodded in approval leaving the princess in a state of shock, "I won my first battle," Salvia said still amazed at what she had achieved while Ash continued to laugh at his own misfortune, "but why is Ash laughing, was it so funny that his pokemon became attracted to my?" Salvia asked with even more uncertainty.

Ash walked over to the princess with a smile on his face, "come on princess, at least act like you won the battle," Ash tried to get the surprised princess to celebrate, "I got over zealous and I didn't know that Clefairy's ability would take effect on my pokemon," Ash stated happily.

Salvia recalled her pokemon from the battle with a proud grin on her face, "I told you don't call me princess," Salvia said as she walked over to the exit of the battlefield, she was still in shock at what had happened, she couldn't believe that she had beaten Ash in the battle, she clenched her fist and did a little celebration.

Ash noticed the celebration and chuckled quietly to himself, "still can't believe we lost buddy," Ash told his Pikachu who had just recovered from Cute Charm, the small electric type scratched his head with an embarrassed smile on his face, "oh well, it happens," Ash submitted with slight disappointment.

Ash caught up to the princess who was smiling at her pokemon, she looked over to the trainer she had just beaten in the quick battle, she let out a cheeky smile and approached the trainer, "Sir Ash, when are we going to leave to meet up with Dawn?" Salvia asked with a smirk.

Ash looked down towards the princess with slight anger at the princess, "what have I told you about being formal?" Ash asked as the duo started to head towards the city exit.

Salvia let out a quick smile while the flustered Ash was recovering from the embarrassing defeat, "well you do call me princess so it's your fault to," Salvia pointed out while looking away from the trainer. She noticed Ash getting a little angrier, she looked at the corner of her left eye and let out a secret smile, 'I was just lucky, I shouldn't have beaten Ash due to his level of experience,' Salvia thought.

Ash and Salvia exited Cerulean City after the talking about the battle they had, they noticed small building at the edge of the forest, "Salvia, that is the Underground Path, that will lead us directly to Vermilion City," Ash pointed out calmly.

Salvia gulped as she knew that heading to Vermilion was going to cause some trouble to them, "Ash, I am nervous, my father and uncle don't exactly get along," Salvia stated with a worried smile etched on her face, she remembered the contest that she participated in, "but I can't allow my friends to get hurt," Salvia declared with .

The two continued their walk towards the Underground Path when they both spotted Officer Jenny blocking the entrance, "something is wrong," Ash said with concern as the two got closer to the building.

The officer stopped Ash and Salvia from entering the building as they stopped in front of the door, "I am sorry, no one can go to Vermilion City," the blue haired office decreed with concern.

Ash showed signs of concern feeling like that there was now nothing he could do to save his friend, he looked towards Vermillion City then to the princess who was equally concerned, "officer, what's going on?" Ash asked with a frown.

Officer Jenny looked towards the entrance of the building, "it seems like there is a major battle in Vermillion City, the gym leader is trying his best to defend the city, but….." Jenny started with concern.

Salvia looked at the ground in shame as she started to get a scary feeling about the battle, "but what Officer Jenny?" Salvia enquired trying to keep calm.

Officer Jenny turned her gaze back to the young trainers trying to keep her emotions in check, "but, he can't beat them, because the people who are battling have extremely well trained pokemon," the officer declared in anger, "even my sister there is having a hard time, the guys battling are talking about a person of interest," Officer Jenny stated with great concern.

Ash got a quick look at the corner of his eye, 'Salvia, that confirms it,' Ash thought with anger, "who are they after Officer Jenny?" Ash asked while clenching his fists.

Officer Jenny started to get an uneasy feeling about the situation, she received a message from her sister in the next city, "seems like the people of the city have to evacuate," Jenny declared with a frown, "the person they are after, is a royal by the name of Salvia, she is the crown princess of the Sinnoh kingdom," the officer explained.

"We need to go through one of my friends is caught in the battle," Ash explained with determination, Salvia looked into Ash's determined eyes again, "please we need to save my friend," Ash started to plead as he pulled out one of his pokeballs, "we will help with the evacuation," Ash declared angrily, the officer let them through quietly knowing that she couldn't change their mind, "thanks officer," Ash said thankfully before entering the building to start their journey to Vermilion City.

Before closing the door officer Jenny let out a disappointed sigh, "you two please be careful, it would mean my badge if you two got hurt," Officer Jenny said with disappointment, Ash and Salvia nodded in approval before the door was shut leaving them on their own.

Ash and Salvia walked down the steps toward the Underground Path, "Salvia, stay close, this path used to contain traps because of Team Rocket," Ash pointed out calmly.

Salvia moved closer to Ash to make sure that nothing was going to happen, "Ash there is something I want to ask you," Salvia said while thinking about the battle she had with Ash.

Ash looked at the princess for a moment and started to wonder what the question was going to be, "ask me anything," Ash replied happily.

The two continued to walk through the quiet path, "Ash, can you tell me more about Pokemon Abilities?" Salvia requested with a smile, "if I am to get any better, I need to learn the abilities right?" Salvia asked with a grin.

Ash and Salvia continued to walk through the path, the trainer placed his hand on his chin to think more about what he need to tell the princess, "abilities are something that is unique to the pokemon, there are many different abilities out there, they all affect the way the battle is played out, there are some abilities that cause status problems for your opponent while some change stats, prevent problems from occurring to your pokemon and there are some that power up certain moves depending the pokemon it works with, on rare occasions you will get a pokemon that can change the weather," Ash pointed out with a smile as the princess was listening with great intent.

"So there are some that change the weather, what about a pokemon that can use the weather conditions to its advantage?" Salvia asked with curiosity.

Ash let out a quick laugh thinking about pokemon that could use the ability to their advantage, "well, there is a rare pokemon called Castform, it is said that it can change forms based on the weather conditions, so let's say a pokemon uses Sunny Day, Castform will become a fire type and its special move Weather Ball will become a fire type move," Ash explained confidently, "same goes for Hail and Rain Dance," Ash pointed out with a grin.

"So the weather can change the way battles are fought as well?" Salvia question while the two started to reach the end of the tunnel, "what else do I need to know?" Salvia asked with a smile.

"Your Clefairy has the ability to use Cute Charm, that ability would cause infatuation on contact providing that the pokemon hitting it is of the opposite gender," Ash said with an embarrassed smile, "but there are pokemon with the ability to nullify attraction," Ash pointed out with certainty.

Salvia started to think more about the abilities, "so what is you Pikachu's ability?" Salvia asked with curiosity.

Ash looked at his partner pokemon with a smile, "he has the ability to use static, when a pokemon hits Pikachu with an attack, for example Take Down, there is a chance that Static could paralyze the opponent," Ash told the princess wisely, "but there have been a few times when Static was turned against me, like Paul's Ursaring and Lucy's Milotic," Ash explained as they reached the end of the underground Path.

"What happened?" Salvia asked calmly.

"Lucy use a move called Facade, a move that doubles in power if a status problem was to occur, as for Paul's Ursaring, had the ability to use Guts an ability that increases the power of a pokemon that has a status problem," Ash explained while he and Salvia were walking up the steps, "in that battle against Paul I was beaten pretty badly," Ash confessed with sadness.

Ash and Salvia walked up to the exit at the other end of the Underground Pass. Salvia looked at the ground again thinking about the start of her journey with Ash, "everything from the moment I ran away from the palace, leaving Sinnoh and now I face both my uncle and my dad," Salvia said nervously, she gulped as an uneasy feeling started to overtake her, "Ash, I am scared of what my dad and uncle are going to do," Salvia confessed with a frown.

Ash placed his hand on the princess shoulder and smiled at her, "you will be fine, I promised you and Colin that nothing will happen to you," Ash said casually, "I will protect you princess because you made me your knight," Ash explained to the young royal, Salvia looked away for a moment with a smile on face which was starting to heat up, "Salvia are you alright?" Ash asked the princess with a bit of worry.

Salvia turned her gaze back to Ash again, "thank you Ash, you are the first true friend I have really had outside the palace apart from Dawn," Salvia confessed as tears of joy rolled down her face, Salvia followed Ash to the door of the current building, Salvia's heart started to go faster and her face turning red while watching Ash opening the door, 'what's going on? Why is it every time I am anywhere near Ash my heart starts to pound and Beautiflies start to flutter around?' Salvia questioned herself while Ash finally opened the door, 'I have never admitted it to anyone, even Brock doesn't know about it,' Salvia thought to herself, 'was Colin right?' Salvia questioned herself while looking at the ground. Ash turned around with a smile on his face, the mere sight of seeing that smile caused Salvia to turn a deeper red.

Ash walked up to Salvia and placed his hand on her forehead, "hey Salvia, are you alright? Do you have a fever or something?" Ash asked cluelessly.

Salvia removed Ash's hand and shook her head, "no nothing's wrong Ash, I am just a little nervous that's all," Salvia lied to Ash who shrugged his shoulders, "come on Ash, we need to help out Dawn," Salvia said while walking out of the room.

Ash stood their wondering what was going on, "Pikachu, that was weird, Salvia was definitely acting a little strangely," Ash said while scratching the back of his head, while Ash was standing in the middle of the room Salvia rushed in with worry etched over her face, "Salvia, what's the matter?" Ash asked in concern.

Salvia looked up to Ash, "hurry Ash, there is a battle outside," Salvia told Ash promptly, Ash got up and ran outside to find the sky was reddened by the fires on the horizon, "Ash, I have a bad feeling about this," Salvia confessed as she stood next to Ash.

"We need to hurry," Ash said with anger as he and the princess started running towards Vermilion City, they continued to run seeing the people running away in panic. Ash and Salvia were pushed back as the crowd of panicking people, while trying to get to the city Ash and Salvia got separated, "Pikachu, find Salvia now," Ash told his partner pokemon.

While Pikachu was looking for the princess, she was being pushed further back due to the momentum, "Ash, Ash help me!" Salvia called out to Ash.

Ash looked around to try and find Salvia was getting further and further away from him, "this isn't good, there are too many people," Ash said while trying to push himself through the masses of people, "Salvia, where are you?!" Ash yelled out trying to keep calm, it was then that Ash remembered the X-Transceiver that was given to him by Colin, Ash looked for Salvia's number and pressed it to call her, the call got through, Ash saw a picture of the panicking princess, "Salvia, I see that you are at the gates of Saffron City, go into the gates and wait there I will be there soon to help you out," Ash instructed the princess as he followed the crowd of people.

After about an hour of trying to get through the crowd, Ash finally made it to the Saffron City gate, upon entering the gates Salvia was there to embrace him, she was crying from the fear that she was experiencing, "Ash, I was so scared, there were too many people for me to know what to do," Salvia said while burying her head into Ash's chest, Ash placed his hand on her head trying to get her to calm down. After composing herself from the scary experience, Ash and Salvia noticed that more people were still panicking and heading their way, Salvia pulled away from the embrace and looked at the exit, "Ash, what do we do? We aren't able to get anywhere near Vermilion at this rate," Salvia pointed out while drying up her tears.

Ash looked away for a moment with Pikachu returning to him, after a look out, "seems like we have to find another way to get to Vermilion City," Ash said while thinking of another way, they started to walk to Saffron City and towards the Pokemon Center when an idea came to Ash's head, "I am going to call to get Charizard here," Ash explained with confidence, Salvia followed Ash to the video phone not want to be separated from what happened near Vermilion City.

"Hello Ash, I see that you're in Saffron City, is there anything I can do for you?" Professor Oak enquired calmly.

Ash nodded with a smile, "yes professor, can you send over Charizard for me?" Ash requested with hope, the professor shook his head in disbelief, "what happened Professor?" Ash asked in anger.

"I was doing my daily checkup on Charizard a couple of days ago, only to find that Charizard wasn't there," the Professor explained with a frown, "yesterday I received a call from Liza at the Charicific Valley to let me know that your Charizard was there," the professor stated calmly as he gave Ash the option of another pokemon.

"Alright, I am sending Muk back to you for now, please send over Salamence," Ash requested with certainty, Ash placed Muk's pokeball on the device and press the button to send the poison type back to the Professor's lab.

"Okay, I am sending over Salamence," Oak explained with a smile as he placed the red and white device on his end of the device.

"Thanks professor," Ash said thankfully while taking Salamence's pokeball, Ash looked over to the princess after closing off the call, "now we should try this again," Ash said with certainty before walking outside.

"Ash, can I be on Salamence with you this time?" Salvia asked while brushing one of her shoes on the ground, Ash looked at her in a puzzled manner not sure why Salvia was requesting this, "we only have one flying type capable of carrying us, it would be best if we fly on one pokemon together," Salvia pointed out with a smile.

Ash looked at Pikachu for a moment with a clueless look on his face, "so we don't get separated right?" Ash questioned calmly. Ash called out a large blue creature with powerful red wings, Ash climbed on with Pikachu, after climbing on his Salamence, Ash extended his hand to the princess, she showed a moment of hesitation before taking Ash's hand.

Ash pulled her up on to the dragon type pokemon and gave the command to take off, "the flight shouldn't take too long," Ash explained before feeling Salvia resting on his back, "Salvia, what are you doing?" Ash asked not sure what was going on.

Salvia let out a quick smile while they were flying over the gates of Saffron City, "Ash, from the moment you saved my life, I always thought that you were my knight," Salvia started with a smile and red cheeks, "we have been traveling for just over a week, but it feels longer than that," Salvia explained before closing her eyes, 'I can't say it, but if I do will he think differently of me?' Salvia question in thought as the explosions of battle were pulsing through the air.

Ash finally gave the order to land when he spotted a man wearing a royal outfit, "Salvia, do you know who that man is?" Ash questioned the princess.

Salvia gasped the moment she saw the man, they made eye contact as Salamence landed, "Uncle Chris," Salvia said with fear, Ash and Salvia got off the dragon type to allow Ash to recall it, Salvia hid behind Ash with her hands on his back, "Ash, his pokemon are very well trained," Salvia explained while she looked down to see a hostage next to him.

"So good to see you princess, now be a good girl and come here," Chris said with a dark grin.

Ash placed his left arm in front of the princess while glaring at the person chasing his friend, "you will not take her anywhere!" Ash yelled at Salvia's uncle.

While the showdown was about to take place another man appeared this time he had a crown on his head with a red suit and a red cape, he charged in with his fiery Rapidash, "you will not be taking my daughter anywhere brother, I will be taking her home after I deal with you," the king told his brother.

"Salvia, stay behind me, you will be safe that way," Ash explained with an assuring smile, "Lucario, I choose you," Ash called out his aura pokemon, a blue aura surrounded the fox like pokemon as he got ready to charge into battle.

Salvia looked at Ash who was confident of his victory, "Ash, please be careful," Salvia said nervously.

Ash looked over to Dawn and nodded at one another, "Lucario, help Dawn out, Use Metal Claw," Ash commanded with certainty, the blue and black pokemon charged into battle.

* * *

**Alright that is this episode completed, I hope you liked it please leave a review, I would like to know what people think so far, any criticism or things that you all like. And yes I gave Ash an embarrassing defeat only because it has to happen sometime right?**

**The first confrontation between Ash and the brothers has just began, will he save Dawn? Will he keep the princess safe? Is there any chance of victory in this battle?**

**Next time: Episode 10: New Found Courage**


	10. New Found Courage

**Episode 10: New Found Courage**

_The romance between Ash and Salvia is one sided at the moment and will be for a little while to come._

_I will introduce the second pin master in this episode and the first of Salvia's contests will start near the end of this episode._

* * *

Chris stood there with a grin on his face while pushing Dawn out of the way, Lucario charged towards the young bluenette grabbing her before she hit the ground, Lucario used Metal Claw to cut her bindings allowing the coordinator to escape, she ran to Ash's side thankful that she was free from her captor, she looked over Ash's shoulder for a moment and immediately recognized the girl standing behind Ash, she then turned her gaze over to Ash who was determined to look after her.

"Dawn, are you alright?" Ash asked his friend calmly, Dawn nodded quietly as the blue fox like pokemon landed next to him, "Dawn I want you to make sure the people are alright," Ash told his friend calmly.

Dawn took a quick glance at the princess again and smiled at her knowingly, "Ash, Salvia you two stay safe," Dawn said quietly as she ran off towards the distance.

Now that Ash didn't have to worry about saving Dawn he quickly turned his focus back on to the upcoming battle between him, the king and his brother, "Ash, my dad and uncle are both very strong," Salvia pointed out with concern, Salvia took the chance to look at her father who was holding a pokeball, "Ash, remember my dad also has Latios," Salvia pointed to the potential pokemon that Ash could face up against.

"Latios, the symbol of my family," the king called out for his large blue and grey pokemon with confidence, the creature floated there proudly while the king smirked at his brother.

His brother just stood there with a smirk, "legendary pokemon, doesn't bother me too much, Gallade, show them your power," Chris called out his pokemon the battle.

The king glared over to Ash with an anger expression, "I will deal with you soon after this battle," the king declared while getting ready to battle his brother, "my daughter will come home with me," the king declared his intentions boldly.

Chris looked over to his brother with laughter, "I knew you would come here, even for a stranger," he said while laughing at his brother, "I am not worried, this was nothing but a test to see how far you would go to save your daughter," Chris said with an arrogant smirk, "now I know what I need to do to send you over the edge," Chris said calmly as he got ready to battle both Ash and his brother, "and you young trainer, getting in my way isn't such a smart idea, in fact coming here wasn't a smart idea," Chris said while laughing at Ash, "but in actual fact you made my mission so much easier," he said as Ash gritted his teeth in frustration.

Ash looked back to the princess who continued to hide behind Ash nervously, "don't worry Salvia, what did I promise to Colin?" Ash asked with a confident smile. Salvia smiled at Ash while nodding at him, "good just stay where were you are," Ash instructed her calmly.

"Whatever, Gallade use Night Slash on Latios," Chris instructed his powerful pokemon to charge at the legendary pokemon, the humanoid pokemon ran towards legendary creature boldly before jumping up into the air.

Brian stood there calmly before getting ready to make his command, "Latios, Luster Purge," Brian ordered his pokemon, the legendary pokemon charged up a pink ball of energy before firing it at the incoming psychic type pokemon, sadly the opposing pokemon charged through the attack with ease but before it could land a powerful ghost type move slammed into Gallade, "what, where did that come from?" the king asked in amazement.

Lucario landed in front of Ash calmly after firing a powerful Shadow Ball at Gallade, "you forget that I am here, I will make sure that no one gets their hands on the princess," Ash declared determined to make sure no one harms her, "so if you two want her so badly you have to go through me," Ash said confidently while the princess watched in awe.

Brian looked over his shoulder for a moment and let out a quick smile, 'his courage is unbelievable,' he thought calmly, "enough that my daughter would hide behind him for protection,' the king thought as he turned his gaze back to his brother, "Latios, Dragon Breath now," the king called for the next attack of the battle, Latios charged up a powerful ball of energy and fired it at his brothers pokemon leaving Ash on the sidelines again.

"Gallade, use Close Combat on Lucario," Chris instructed his pokemon to attack, Chris's pokemon charged at Lucario while dodging the powerful Dragon Pulse gracefully.

"Lucario, dodge the attack and then use Aura Spere," Ash commanded confidently, the aura pokemon jumped back as Gallade made attempt after attempt to hit the steel type pokemon, after jumping further back Lucario charged up a sphere and fired it at Gallade with great power, the opposing pokemon pulled back after the attack while another attack slammed into it from above.

Chris looked on in anger as his pokemon fell back from the force of the two attack, "not bad young trainer, but not good enough," Chris stated with a grin, he burst out into laughter as another pokemon appeared next to him, a large blue pokemon with a purple and blue cape like feature and walking next to its master, his laughter became more crazed as Ash looked on in shock, "how do you like it now brother? Suicune the legendary beast from the Johto region working for me," Chris stated with a smirk.

Salvia stepped back in fear while Ash stood his ground in the face of such powerful foes, 'Ash, he is putting up a strong front, but he can't compete against my dad or my uncle,' Salvia thought while Ash looked back at her, "Ash, what are you thinking?" Salvia asked the trainer quietly.

"Salvia, if it gets too dangerous, I want you to run away from here, Pikachu you're to follow and protect her," Ash ordered his two friends with a smile.

Salvia shook her head in disbelief while Ash's electric pokemon stood on her shoulder, 'I am so scared, but Ash wants to make sure that I am safe,' Salvia thought as she watched the battle intensify, she looked at Pikachu for a moment, 'even Pikachu is standing his ground,' Salvia thought while Lucario hit the ground from a powerful attack.

Ash now falling back after Lucario was critically hit by Gallade, "not good, seems like this guy has reached another level," Ash declared in frustration, "this guy is good, he is holding his biggest threat off with a legendary of his own, while keeping me busy with his Gallade," Ash said with a smirk, "Lucario, are you alright?" Ash asked his pokemon calmly while it was getting up.

Lucario was slow to its feet but was still willing to battle against Gallade, Chris looked around after having Suicune send a powerful Ice Beam at Latios which was easily dodged, "not bad you two, but I am only getting warmed up, "Suicune, use Sheer Cold," Chris ordered his pokemon with great confidence, Suicune started to glow blue before unleashing a powerful wave of cold energy heading towards the opposing pokemon.

Ash, Salvia and the pokemon ran from the powerful attack as it neared the pokemon, "not good," Ash said while gritting his teeth, Lucario was hit by the powerful wave of cold air while Latios flew up to dodge the attack, "Lucario,"Ash called out to his pokemon, he quickly recalled his fighting type pokemon with frustration etched on his face.

Salvia saw the frustration plastered over Ash's face and started to show even more concern as Gallade approached Pikachu coldly, "I told you trainer," Chris said arrogantly while Suicune recovered from using the powerful attack, "all you need to do is hand over the princess, I will leave you alone if you do as I tell you," Chris told Ash quietly.

Ash turned his gaze back towards Salvia, "that would be the easy way out," Ash angrily responded as he grabbed one of his pokeballs, "Salvia is my friend and there is no way I will let you take her!" Ash yelled out in anger, "Salamence, I choose you," Ash called for his next pokemon, "go now, time to take this battle to another level," Ash told the princess as she and Pikachu ran away from the battle.

Salvia looked back while Ash's pokemon got ready to battle against her father and uncle, 'Ash, please make it back to me safely,' Salvia thought as the large blue pokemon charged at Gallade, 'I want to travel with you some more,' Salvia thought with a smile as she turned away to run to safety.

Ash smirked with confidence, "now Salamence, take out Gallade with Aerial Ace," Ash called out for an attack, Salamence quickly flew towards the psychic/fighting type catching it off guard, Salamence slammed into the opposing pokemon with its red wings, "nicely done Salamence," Ash complimented with a grin, the green and white pokemon fell to the ground knocked out of the battle.

The king looked over to Ash in amazement, 'amazing, I thought I was the only one that was able to defeat his Gallade,' the king thought, "use Dragon Pulse," Brian declared his attack with vigor, another burst of dragon like energy appeared over the mouth of Latios before it was fired at Suicune, but the legendary water type easily dodged the attack and sent its own powerful attack at Latios, "my brother has gotten better," Brian hissed in anger while his pokemon dodged the attack easily, "now Latios, counter with Thunderbolt," Brian called for the next attack of the battle.

Ash watched as the eon pokemon powered up an electric attack before blasting Suicune with the powerful attack. Salvia heard the power of the attack from the battle and looked back in concern "Ash," Salvia called to Ash before turning back towards the battle, as she was running towards the battle three familiar faces appeared in front of her, "Team Rocket," Salvia called out as she stepped back.

"Seems like your protector is a little busy," James said with a smirk while the sounds of the battle emanated behind him, "how about coming with us," James enquired calmly.

Salvia took a step back until she felt she was at the water's edge, she took a look back to see where she was. Salvia looked ahead to see the Rocket Trio getting closer, she pulled out her pokeball and looked at it for a moment, "Dragonair, please help me," Salvia called out her pokemon in hope, her pokemon appeared to get between her and Team Rocket, "Dragonair, use Dragon Breath," Salvia instructed her pokemon, the large blue serpentine pokemon sent blasted Team Rocket with a burst of green flames.

Team Rocket easily dodge the attack, they grabbed their pokeballs to call out their pokemon, "Seviper, go," Jessie called for her pokemon.

"Cofagrigus, show the princess what you are made of," James called out his ghost pokemon calmly.

Dragonair was alone in the battle until Pikachu jumped into the fray, "Pikachu, you want to battle too?" Salvia asked the small electric type pokemon.

The electric type tried to tell Salvia to battle but she was unable to understand, "that's so nice of the little rodent, telling you to command in this battle," Team Rockets Meowth said causing the his team mates to laugh at the trapped princess, "just give up, that's all you need to do, it isn't like you can make a difference in this battle," Meowth declared while laughing.

Salvia closed her eyes and thought about the battle quickly, "I will not give up, Pikachu, Dargonair time to show them what we can do," Salvia declared with a confident grin, "Pikachu, use Electro Ball and Dragonair, Use Aqua Tail," Dragonair spun around with water flowing from its tail while Pikachu fired a ball of electricity into the water, the electric attack spun around as water type move started to get near the opposing pokemon.

Team Rocket's pokemon easily dodged the attack, "I remember now, you defeated me in a pokemon contest," Jessie barked out with anger, "Seviper, use Poison Tail on Dragonair," Jessie called for the fang snake pokemon to attack Salvia's pokemon.

"Cofagrigus, attack with Shadow Ball," James gave his ghost type the command to attack Pikachu.

"Dodge the attack Pikachu," Salvia told Ash's pokemon calmly, the small yellow pokemon ran around the attack before it blew up near Salvia almost pushing her off the water front, Salvia managed to regain her balance with the help of Dragonair who took the poison tail attack, "now Pikachu use Thunderbolt," Salvia told the electric mouse pokemon powered up his thunder type move before zapping the opposing pokemon with a mighty burst of electricity.

"She's gotten better," James said calmly as the two pokemon fell back from the power of the attack, "Cofagrigus, counter with Dark Pulse," James ordered the ghost pokemon to attack the poisoned dragon type pokemon.

Jessie looked at the princess who was still trapped on the water's edge, "Seviper, attack with Poison Jab," Jessie issued her command, the fang snake pokemon charged at Pikachu with its tail dripping with poison, the poison type hit Pikachu with a mighty hit before grabbing Pikachu and wrapping it with its coils, but as Jessie was about to issue the final command of the battle from out of nowhere a powerful burst of electricity slammed into the conflicting pokemon, a man with short blonde hair appeared with military style clothing, "who are you?" Jessie asked in anger.

The man looked around with a smile before a powerful yellow and black pokemon stood next to him, "I am Sargent Watkins, specialty electric type pokemon, I am pin master here to visit an old friend," the man said while pulling off his shades, he looked around again this time spotting Salvia in trouble, "teaming up on a young lady, there is no honor in that," Watkins said with frown.

Salvia watched as the pin master got ready to attack, 'who is this guy?' Salvia asked herself trying to keep calm, she looked over to find a powerful burst of ice was over the horizon, "Ash, come on Pikachu and Dragonair, we need to help Ash out," Salvia said as she ran passed the pin master with a frown, "thanks for helping me," Salvia said thankfully, the pin master nodded approvingly as the princess ran by to get to the trainer.

"Electivire, attack with Thunder Punch," Watkins ordered his pokemon confidently, Electivire charged at the two pokemon without flinching with lightning arching from its fists, the two fists connected knocking out the two pokemon with great ease.

Jessie and James recalled their pokemon knowing that the battle was over yet again, "time for us to leave this battle," James said before throwing a smoke ball at the ground to start their retreat.

Watkins waited for the smoke to clear from the area, "seems like these guys are well organized," Watkins stated calmly, he turned around to see Lt Surge walking up to him, "Sir, it seems like Team Rocket have restarted their operations," Watkins declared while saluting promptly.

"Come on, our days in the army are over, just call me Surge," Lt Surge said while scratching the back of his head, "you have to test the abilities of all challenges in the Master's Challenge," Lt Surge said before walking off towards the gym to prepare it for Watkins' battles.

Watkins followed Surge towards the gym calmly thinking about the lady that he saved from Team Rocket, "Who was that girl?" Watkins asked himself quietly while hearing the sounds of the battle starting to dissipate.

Meanwhile Ash was being pushed back from the battle while Suicune and Latios fell back from a head on collision, "Salamence, are you alright?" Ash asked the powerful dragon pokemon, Salamence turned his gaze to Ash and nodded quickly while panting from the quality of the opposition, "we need to end this battle quickly," Ash declared with quietly, "Dragon Pulse now," Ash ordered powerfully, Salamence powered up another devastating dragon type move before sending the blast towards the clashing pokemon, just as the move got closer the two legendries pulled away and fired their most powerful attacks at one another, the attacks collided with devastating force.

As the attacks were about to explode in the middle of the city Dragonair appeared to help Salamence out, "Use Protect now Dragonair," a female voice instructed her pokemon, Dragonair got between Salamence and the explosion with a protective barrier.

Salvia ran to Ash's side with a smile and watched as the smoke cleared from the explosion, "Salvia, what are you doing here?" Ash asked in shock, he turned around to see the legendary pokemon still standing but looking tired from the continual battle, "I told you to stay clear from this battle," Ash explained as his frustration started to show.

"Ash, there is no way I was going to leave you behind," Salvia declared as the two started to glare at each other.

"I don't want you getting hurt," Ash snapped back causing the princess to cross her arms, "what would happen if you got hurt in this battle?" Ash asked Salvia with concern.

Salvia looked at the ground to think about Ash's question, 'I was hoping that you would help me Ash, but guess you are too protective,' Salvia thought with a frown, "Ash, I want to learn to look after myself, what would I learn if you keep babying me all the time?" Salvia asked in anger as she turned away from the trainer, "I want to become strong Ash, staying in those palace walls prevented me from doing so," Salvia stated with a frown.

Her dad was watching the argument between her and Ash, 'was I doing the same thing as him?' the king asked in shame, he turned around to find that his brother and Suicune were gone, 'I will let you travel some more my daughter,' the king thought with a smile before walking away from the battle while Ash and Salvia were still arguing amongst themselves.

"Sire, we need to pull back and heal our pokemon," Colin said calmly while his Chatot was repeating his every word.

The king looked over his shoulder and smiled at the scene, 'my daughter has a friend,' the king thought proudly, "men we're pulling back!" Brian declared while walking away from the city.

Colin turned around to see Ash and Salvia arguing, the scene caused him to crack a quick smile, "even if they are arguing it doesn't mean it's then end of their journey," Colin stated with a smile, "he held his line pretty well," Colin stated while watching the two turn their backs to each other.

Meanwhile another blue haired female walked up to them, "Ash and Salvia I am traveling with you until we reach Celadon City," Dawn said with a smile.

"Fine by me," Ash replied to his friend calmly with his arms crossed, "oh and thanks for saving me princess," Ash said thankfully while avoiding eye contact with the princess.

Salvia ignored the sentiment but turned her head to look at Ash, she let out a quick smile before realizing that Dawn was watching them, she turned her back to Ash, "that's all fine Ash, but I want to battle alongside you," Salvia declared calmly as she walked away.

Ash turned around to see Pikachu staring at his master in anger, "what now buddy?" Ash asked the pokemon who turned around to follow the princess back to the pokemon Center, "what did I do know?" Ash asked with a sigh.

Dawn looked at her friend in concern, "Ash, it seems that the princess wants to get stronger," Dawn said with a frown, she and Ash walked to the Pokemon Center without a word being said to each other, they entered the medical facility and looked around to find the princess sitting at a table with food on it, she looked up and smiled at Ash and Dawn, "Salvia, what are you doing?" Dawn asked the princess with uncertainty.

Ash walked up quietly not looking at the food, "sorry about earlier Salvia," Ash said apologetically, Ash took some food and took a bite, "did you get that from the café?" Ash asked quietly but Salvia shook her head in response.

Salvia looked up to Ash with a smile and sighed quietly, "I learnt some other stuff from you," Salvia professed quietly, "I learnt how to make some sandwiches," Salvia confessed while Ash took a some more sandwiches and ate, Dawn soon followed Ash's example and took a bite, "I hope you like them," Salvia said in hope.

After finishing the sandwiches Ash looked at the princess happily, "they were really nice Salvia," Ash complimented her happily, Pikachu jumped onto his trainers shoulder happily eating one of the sandwiches Salvia made.

Salvia turned around feeling a little embarrassed from Ash's compliment, 'he complimented me,' Salvia thought as her happiness started to overflow.

"Salvia, are you okay?" Ash asked in a clueless manner.

Salvia turned around with a smile on her face, "yes I am fine Ash, I just have a request," Salvia declared with a smile.

Ash looked at the food on the table, "yeah I will be happy to follow your request," Ash stated with a smile, "name it, anything you need," Ash said with a smile.

Salvia looked at Pikachu with a smile, "I want to borrow Pikachu for my first contest," Salvia requested while bowing her head, "I saw a contest hall not too far from here," Salvia pointed out to a shocked Ash, "oh and Ash while I am competing in the contest, I want you to take Dragonair to battle the pin master in this city," Salvia instructed Ash with a smile.

Dawn watched as the two smiled at each other for a moment, she watched as Ash nodded in approval, "wow you two act like you're in….." Dawn stated as Salvia covered her mouth in embarrassment, Dawn started to talk but the words were muffled behind Salvia's hand.

Ash witnessed the scene unfold while Salvia dragged Dawn out of the Pokemon Center, Pikachu followed the two girls out, "what was that all about?" Ash asked in amazement, soon Salvia made it back in to give Ash the pokeball containing Dragonair, "Salvia, are you sure about this?" Ash asked calmly.

Salvia nodded with a smile, "hundred percent certain Ash, be sure that you win the battle," Salvia said before leaving the Pokemon Center again, Salvia soon met up with Dawn as they started to walk towards the Contest hall, Salvia was confident that she was going to win the contest again, "Pikachu, thanks for helping me out," Salvia said thankfully while the electric mouse happily replied to the young royal.

Dawn gave Salvia a pokeball, "here princess, Togekiss wants to compete again with you," Dawn said with smile, Salvia grabbed the pokeball happily as they got closer to the contest hall, "So princess are you nervous, it has been a while since you competed," Dawn stated with a smile.

"Yes I know, but knowing that I will be using Togekiss again I am sure can win this contest," Salvia said confidently. "I will use Togekiss for the appeals round and you Pikachu will be in the battle rounds," Salvia told the electric pokemon.

Salvia and Dawn walked into the busy contest hall to find the coordinator preparing for the contest, they walked up to the main counter so that Salvia could compete, "we like to register for a place in the contest," Dawn said with a smile.

The registrar shook her head in sadness, "sorry there is only one space left," she said with a frown.

Dawn looked away for a moment, "you take the spot princess, I will watch from the crowds," Dawn said happily.

Salvia nodded happily as she registered for the first contest of her journey, "I can't wait to compete," Salvia said happily as she walked into the coordinators lounge, "I will use the same appeals the last time I competed," Salvia declared with a smile.

After waiting for the other competitors it was soon Salvia's turn to take the stage, she walked through the red curtain and to her position on the stage she pulled out the pokeball containing Togekiss, "Togekiss, time to shine," Salvia called out the mostly white pokemon with a crown surrounding her. After the introductions Salvia was ready to show off her pokemon, "Togekiss, use Aura Sphere," Salvia commanded with confidence, Togekiss sent a ball of aura flying up until it stopped in midair, "now hit it with Sky Attack," Salvia instructed her pokemon, and in a great display of power Togekiss flew up to the sphere splitting it in three, "time for some color, use Air Slash," Salvia ordered with a smile, the jubilee pokemon spun around sending blades of air towards the three spheres, the crowd watched in awe as a veil of color enveloped the contest stage.

"Amazing skill, she has some experience," said a man with short brown hair wearing a red suit.

"Remarkble," the Pokemon Fan club president declared.

Nurse Joy waited for the crowd to reach silence for her to make a comment, "amazing color, hope to see more of her skills in this contest," Nurse joy declared happily.

While the contest was going on Ash had finish his call with the professor, "So Krookodile and Serperior will take part in this team," Ash said with confidence, Ash walked out of the contest hall to find the pin master, he walked pass the contest hall and heard the cheers of the crowd, "I hope Salvia is doing well," Ash said before bumping into a large man with short blonde hair, "ouch," Ash said while looking up to see the man smiling at him.

"Sorry about that I am waiting for my next challenge for the pin battles," the man said with a embarrassed smile.

Ash quickly sprang up and immediately grin at the pin master, "I am Ash Ketchum, I challenge to a pin battle," Ash said with confidence.

"I am Sargent Watkins, the electric master and good friend of Lt Surge," the man said with a smile, "the battle will take place in the Vermillion City Gym," Watkins stated while leading Ash to the gym for their battle. After walking for a few minutes Ash and Watkins made it to the gym and got ready for their battle.

Ash looked around with a smile, "wow, it's been a while since I have been here," Ash said with proud smile, he looked around before spotting Lt Surge, "hey Lt Surge, it's been a long time," Ash called over to the gym leader.

"Wow it seems like the baby grew up," Surge said with a smirk before sitting down, "I hope you got better since we battled," Surge said in hope as he walked over to the seats to watch the battle.

* * *

**Alright the end of the episode is here, now the battle rounds of Salvia's first contest are about to happen and Ash's second battle is about to start against the master of electric pokemon.**

**team difference: Ash: Dragonair*, Gabite, Serperior, Krookodile, Emboar and Lucario**

**Salvia: Pikachu*, Togekiss*, Clefairy and Eevee **

***= Temporary inclusion**

**Will Ash and Salvia win their respective battles? What of the situation with her uncle? And what pokemon does Watkins have?**

**Next time Episode 11: Electrifying styles of battle.**

_A.N. Now there are some people wondering when it will happen that Salvia and Ash become an official couple, well I have great news, I have written the episode where it becomes official, but unfortunately I will release it when the time is right and that time isn't now. Until then please continue to enjoy the story and tell me what you think of it so far._


	11. Electrifying styles of Battle

**Episode 11: Electrifying styles of battle.**

_This chapter will definitely focus on the last part of the contest and the pin battle against Watkins. _

_Harley: 24_

* * *

Salvia was sitting in the coordinators room thinking about the performance her Togekiss did, she was amazed at the skills the pokemon she was allowed to use again, she looked over her shoulder to see a small yellow pokemon approach her, "I hope I can win this," Salvia said while watching the other coordinators showing off their pokemon in front of the judges and the crowd, she closed her eyes as the crowd started to cheer loudly for a man wearing mostly green with long purple hair, "wow this guy is scary," Salvia said with a chill running down her spine, she watched as a pokemon the same color as the clothes its trainer was wearing.

While Salvia was watching the coordinator doing his job, Dawn walked into the room with a smile, "how are you going Salvia?" Dawn asked happily, Salvia looked at Dawn for a moment before turning her gaze back to the TV, she pointed to the man on the screen, Dawn followed the princesses finger to see the man she was pointing at, "Harley, a rival of my friend May," Dawn said with a smile, "he is a great coordinator, but is a very strange person," Dawn said with a nervous smile.

Salvia looked at Pikachu again and immediately began to think about how Ash was going, 'I hope you're winning Ash,' Salvia thought calmly while standing up with the other coordinators.

A lady with shoulder length hair, wearing yellow appeared on stage with a grin on her face, "now we are going to see the eight coordinators that will battle in the next round," she said with great energy, Salvia was the first to show up on the screen as another five did followed by Harley who walked up to the young royal with a sneer.

Harley placed his hand on the seat next to Salvia, "seems like darling that you will be facing me in the finals," Harley declared with a smirk, Harley walked away from the two bluenettes laughing at them while the next two people were selected for the next round of eight.

"Now it's time to see who will be facing who in the contest battles," the brunette chimed as the faces on the board started to shuffle until it was revealed that Salvia was going to face another female coordinator with short black hair, "alright, will Salvia and Nancy please come to the stage to start the battles," the MC called out for the two ladies.

Salvia gulped nervously as she walked to the exit of the room with Pikachu following, "hey Salvia, good luck," Dawn wished while giving her a thumbs up, Salvia nodded while Pikachu climbed on her shoulder, "well I can't stay here, I need to head back to my seat," Dawn said with a smile as she left the coordinator's lounge room.

Salvia quickly ran to the stage confident of a win, Pikachu was ready to battle for the first time in years on the contest stage, "Pikachu, time to give the crowd a show," Salvia said with a smile.

Salvia walked out onto the stage with the small electric type on her shoulder, the crowd let out a roar as the two opponents made it to the middle of the stage, Salvia and Nancy shook hands before heading to their respective ends of the contest stage, "with five minutes on the clock, each coordinator will try to bring their opponents points down as far as they can, now begin," the MC declared with a grin.

"Pikachu, it's time to shine," Salvia called over to Pikachu with confidence, the small electric type jumped off Salvia's shoulder and onto the battlefield with sparks flying from his cheeks.

Nancy pulled out her pokeball with a grin on her face, "Lopunny, it's show time," Nancy called out a mostly brown pokemon with cream colored fluff around its arms, legs and ears. Nancy and Salvia waited for the signal to start the battle, the crowd was excited as the two coordinators were given the signal to begin, "Lopunny, start the battle with Shadow Ball," Nancy called for the first attack of the battle, Lopunny charged up a dark sphere which split in to three separate spheres as it flew towards Pikachu.

Salvia waited for the moment to make her move, "now, Pikachu, use Volt Tackle to Dodge the attacks," Salvia instructed the electric mouse pokemon, Pikachu ran and dodged the powerful ghost type attack with a thunderous aura, "now use Volt Tackle on Lopunny," Salvia demanded calmly, after dodging the orbs of ghostly energy Pikachu slammed into the with incredible force, the combination of power and dodging lowered Nancy's pointed rapidly. "Now Pikachu, attack with Electro Ball," Salvia ordered the thunder type confidently.

"Lopunny, use Double Team to dodge the attack," she called out with confidence, the bunny pokemon created five illusions of itself causing the powerful electric attack to miss, Salvia started to lose points while Nancy started to smile, "use Drain Punch," Nancy told her pokemon, Pikachu looked around while being surrounded by the illusions, the doubles charged in before the real one slammed its fist into Pikachu.

Salvia watched as Lopunny recharged its health while Pikachu was panting from the fast pace of the battle, "wow, Salvia's points have taken a hit," the MC yelled out but she soon noticed a spark flying from Lopunny, "it seems as though Static has taken effect," the MC declared in an excited tone.

"Time to end this battle," Nancy said with a smirk, "Lopunny attack with Dizzy Punch," Nancy commanded with confidence.

"Pikachu, Thunderbolt," Salvia called out for the next attack. Lopunny charged at Pikachu with great intent while the electric mouse was powering up for his attack, before Lopunny reached the small thunder type it was stopped by paralysis, this stop lowered the points of Nancy and allowed Pikachu to unleash an unforgiving burst of electricity on his opponent. After the burst of electricity cleared Lopunny was on the ground causing Nancy to lose the battle.

"Amazing, Salvia used the static to her advantage to win this battle," The MC declared with pride as the crowd started to go wild.

Salvia walked back to the lounge room with Pikachu walking back with pride, "that was amazing," Salvia told herself, she looked around to see Dawn was amazed at her performance, "Dawn, that was a lot of fun," Salvia decreed with a smile.

Dawn was surprised to see her friend having a great time, "while we are traveling with Ash, I guess I can help you train," Dawn said happily.

"Thank you Dawn," Salvia expressed her gratitude to her friend, the two bluenettes took a seat so they could watch the next three battles, 'Ash, I hope you're winning your battle,' Salvia thought while watching the battle.

_(Scene Change)_

Meanwhile at the Vermillion City Gym Ash and Watkins were in the midst of their battle, both of them were down one pokemon each, Ash had Serperior out on the field against Watkins' Ampheros, "you've trained your Gabite really well," Watkins said with a smile, "but unfortunately for you I am going to show you the power of electric pokemon," Watkins declared smirking at Ash, "Ampheros, use Fire Punch," Watkins told his pokemon, the electric type charged with a flaming fist.

Ash waited for the slower pokemon to get closer, "Serperior, attack with Leaf Storm," Ash instructed the grass type, Serperior jumped up and unleashed a twister of leaves at the charging thunder type, some of the leaves were easily dispelled by Fire Punch but the mostly yellow pokemon was pushed back by the flurry of leaves.

Watkins watched as his pokemon slowly got up from the devastating attack, 'this guy is good,' Watkins thought as his thunder type got up from the attack heavily panting, "nice, ok Ampheros counter with Focus Blast," Watkins ordered calmly, Ampheros built up a ball of blue energy before sending it towards the grass snake pokemon.

"Serperior, dodge the attack, then finish it with Leaf Blade," Ash instructed the grass type pokemon, Serperior easily dodged the attack coming towards her and spun around with her tail glowing green, before the tired electric type could react Serperior slashed down with her tail dealing immense damage to Ampheros, Serperior landed in front of Ash but this time sparks started to arch from Serperior, "not good, Static what a pain," Ash hissed in frustration while watching Ampheros trying to get back to its feet but collapsed again giving Ash the second round in this battle.

Watkins recalled his thunder type pokemon with a proud smile on his face, "not bad Ash, but it's time to face my next pokemon, go Luxray," Watkins called for his next pokemon, "Luxray, attack with Fire Fang," Watkins instructed his electric type pokemon with great confidence, the gleam eyes pokemon ran at the paralyzed grass serpent as the fangs of the electric type began to flare up.

"Serperior, dodge it, then use Leaf Blade," Ash instructed calmly, the grass type tried to moved out of the way but paralysis prevented her from moving, Ash could only watch as his grass type was hit by a powerful fire type move, "no Serperior!" Ash yelled for his pokemon in shock, Serperior fainted from the critical hit leaving Ash with only four pokemonm he recalled the fallen grass type and got ready to bring out his next pokemon, "Lucario, I choose you."

Watkins looked at the powerful aura pokemon for a moment before a smirk cracked his lips, "this battle will be fun," Watkins decreed happily as he started to pump his fists in the air, "Luxray, start this battle with Wild Charge," Watkins told his pokemon, the electric type sprinted at the aura pokemon with a menacing aura of lightning.

"Lucario, use Aura Sphere," Ash told his pokemon, Lucario jumped into the air and formed a sphere of aura before sending it to the charging Luxray, Luxray charged through the sphere taking damage but was still heading towards the fighting type after it landed the powerful attack landed unmercifully pushing it back towards Ash, Luxray ran back to its side of the battlefield with red sparks flying from his body, "that's right, Wild Charge deals damage to the user, since it's such a reckless attack," Ash told himself.

"Luxray, use Shock Wave," Watkins told the gleam eyes pokemon. Luxray charged at the aura pokemon with a weaker electric type attack.

"Force Palm now," Ash instructed the aura pokemon quickly, the two pokemon charged at one another with great ferocity, eventually the two pokemon collided with immense force, they fell back as sparks flew from their bodies, "such irony both our pokemon are paralyzed," Ash said with a smirk, the two combatants waited nervously as their respective pokemon stood there waiting for another command, "Lucario, attack with Dark Pulse," Ash commanded quickly.

"Luxray, attack with Fire Fang," Watkins told his pokemon, Luxray charged towards Lucario with flaming fangs, the electric pokemon dodged one wave of dark energy, but as contact was made with Fire Fang the dark energy slammed into Luxray, the two pokemon fell back from the power of the two attacks, Ash and Watkins watched as their tired pokemon started to pant from the intense battle, "this battle is so much fun," Watkins declared happily.

"I know, I wonder what else you have," Ash explained as he started to think about what else Watkins had, after half a minute passed of silence the two pokemon collapsed from the battle, "wow, again with both our pokemon fainting, first Gabite and Jolteon, now with Lucario and Luxray," Ash said with a sigh, the two combatants recalled their pokemon and got ready to call out their next pokemon, "Emboar, I choose you," Ash called out his fire pokemon, the mostly orange and brown pokemon landed on the battlefield surrounded in flames.

Watkins pulled out his next pokeball ready to show off his next member of his team, "go Lanturn," Watkins said as a most blue pokemon appeared on the battlefield, "hope you like what I have in store for you," Watkins enquired confidently.

Ash cracked a smile and started to get himself pumped for the next round, "bring it on," Ash chided the pin master into attack.

_(Scene Change)_

While Ash was fighting it out for the jolt pin Salvia was watching nervously as the last battle came to an end, Dawn watched the screen as Harley started to celebrate his victory, "now it's time to find out who the last four are going to battle," the MC declared as the faces on the screen started to shuffle over, "who will battle who, nobody knows," the MC stated as the excitement started to build.

After waiting for the screen to confirm who was going to battle who Salvia saw that she was going to battle a male coordinator with brown hair, "so I will be battling Mark, while Harley will be battling Natalie," Salvia said with a grin, 'at least I won't have to battle Harley yet,' Salvia thought with a smile.

Harley walked into the lounge with a smirk on his face, "I hope you're good enough to battle me," Harley said before walking off.

Salvia looked at the ground nervously, "no need to worry, I know you can beat him Salvia," Dawn declared while pepping up the princess, "I doubt Ash would want you to lose," Dawn said confidently as she started to walk out of the room, "just win one battle at a time," Dawn advised her friend before leaving to get back to her seat.

"Win one battle at a time," Salvia said as she sighed nervously.

Salvia and Mark were both called out to the stage, Salvia walked out of the room with Pikachu on her shoulder, Salvia made it to the contest stage as the crowd started to go wild for another battle, "only the pokemon you battled with in the last round can be used," the MC decreed.

"Pikachu, time to shine," Salvia called for the electric type pokemon.

Mark just stood there with his pokeball in his hand, "the stage is yours, Jelicent," Mark called for a mostly blue pokemon calmly, the two pokemon waited for the clock to start the battle, Mark showed no signs of fear as the five minutes appeared on the clock.

"Pikachu, start this battle with Electro Ball," Salvia commanded starting the battle, Pikachu spun around unleashing a powerful ball of electricity which made quick ground on the water type pokemon.

"Jelicent, dodge the attack and use Hydro Pump," Mark instructed his pokemon, the jellyfish pokemon dodged the attack causing Salvia to lose points in the early going of the battle, Jelicent unleashed a powerful burst of water at Pikachu.

Salvia waited for a moment as the blast of water got closer, "Pikachu, Volt Tackle to dodge the attack," Salvia told the electric pokemon calmly, Pikachu ran around the water type attack with a thunderous aura sending Mark's points plummeting, "now hit it with Volt Tackle," Salvia instructed the electric mouse pokemon.

"Jelicent, stop Pikachu in its tracks with Wrap," Mark told his pokemon with a smile, Jelicent sent forth a group of tentacles to stop Pikachu in his place but took damage at the same time dealing damage to both Salvia and Marks points, "too bad little lady, there is no chance of you escaping Hydro Pump again," Mark said with slight arrogance.

Salvia looked on in horror as Pikachu was getting hurt from the attack, 'what do I do now, I am losing points," Salvia thought to herself over the noise of the crowd, the points on Salvia's side continued to drop, "Pikachu, use Thunderbolt," Salvia commanded in panic, Pikachu unleashed a powerful burst of electricity at the ghost type pokemon, the current flowed through the tentacles zapping the water type.

"Wow that was shocking, Mark's points have taken a real dive, giving Salvia the lead," The MC declared as the crowd started to go crazy.

After the powerful attack cleared up Jelicent hit the ground from the powerful attack, the judges gave the signal to end the battle, "I won the battle," Salvia said with a proud smile on her face, "Pikachu, you did very well," Salvia complimented the yellow pokemon in her care, after waving to the crowd she left the stage and back to the coordinators room proud of her battling so far, 'no time to get overconfident, I still have one more battle,' Salvia told herself while closing her eyes.

While Salvia was relaxing with a bottle of water, Dawn walked into the to congratulate her friend, "amazing work princess," Dawn said with a smile as she walked up to Ash's pokemon, "you're taking the princess's commands very well Pikachu," Dawn said happily while Piplup walked up to the electric type, Salvia sat down to watch the battle between Harley and Natalie, "Banette versus Ninetails," Salvia said as the battle between the two pokemon started.

"I would still be careful of Harley, he is exceptionally good," Dawn said with a grin while watching the start of the battle.

Salvia watched as the battle heated up, 'I hope you're winning your battle Ash,' Salvia thought as the electric pokemon looked at the nervous princess, "it's alright Pikachu, I am just focusing on the next battle," Salvia lied happily.

_(Scene change)_

As the contest was drawing to a conclusion Ash was in a heated battle against Watkins, Lanturn and Emboar were starting to get exhausted from the prolonged battle, "this battle is rocking," Watkins said happily.

Ash looked on with a smirk, "Emboar, you ok buddy?" Ash asked the powerful fire type quietly, the mega fire pig looked at Ash and nodded, Ash started to smile before giving his command, "Emboar, finish it with Brick Break," Ash instructed his pokemon, Emboar charge at the dual type pokemon with a glowing white fist.

"Return the favor, use Hydro Pump," Watkins called for the counter attack, Lanturn fired a huge burst of water at the charging fire type pokemon.

"Emboar, dodge it," Ash commanded the fire pig pokemon, but Emboar was too tired to dodge the attack and took a direct hit from the Hydro Pump, Emboar fainted from the powerful attack giving Watkins the next round of the battle.

Watkins started to jump for joy as Ash grabbed the next pokeball to continue the battle, "amazing, this battle is starting the become electric," Watkins stated with a smile.

Ash looked at the pokeball again, 'type disadvantage, but if I knock out this pokemon, I can be on the way to win this battle," Ash declared with a smirk, he threw out his pokeball, "Krookodile, I choose you," Ash brought out his next pokemon.

Watkins eyes started to glint, "Hydro Pump again," Watkins called for the next attack.

The water type sent out a powerful burst of water but the attack didn't make it to the desert croc pokemon, "your water type is a little exhausted," Ash pointed out with a smirk, "Krookodile, use Crunch," Ash told the mostly red pokemon, Krookodile leaped at the tired water type bearing its fangs at the water type before biting down.

Watkins watched on as the powerful ground type knocked out his water type pokemon, "you evened it up nicely, now is time to bring out the big guns," Watkins acknowledged while calling back his fallen pokemon, he picked up another pokeball, "Raichu, time to show them the power of electricity," he said while a brown pokemon appeared ready for battle.

Ash looked at Raichu and started to think about why he chose this pokemon, 'Watkins is confident, what does he have in store for Krookodile?' Ash wondered as the battle got underway, "Krookodile, use Dragon Claw," Ash commanded with confidence, the ground type charged at the electric pokemon with power, his claws glowing white.

"Use Volt Tackle to dodge," Watkins told Raichu, Raichu used its superior agility to dodge the attack, "now hit back with Brick Break," Watkins ordered sure of himself.

Ash watched on as the opposing pokemon got closer to Krookodile, "counter with Dragon Claw," Ash called for the next attack, Krookodile turned back and slashed at the incoming Brick Break attack, the two attacks collided with immense power pushing the pokemon back, "Krookodile, nicely done," Ash told the large red pokemon while smiling at his opponent, "Alright Krookodile, use Crunch," Ash commanded with confidence.

"Raichu, attack with Iron Tail," Watkins instructed his electric pokemon, the two pokemon charged at one another, Raichu jumped up and started to spin around with its tail starting to stiffen up.

"Krookodile, grab Raichu's tail with Crunch," Ash told his pokemon with great vigor, the intimidation pokemon grabbed the tail of Raichu, "now throw it Krookodile," Ash commanded quickly, Krookodile spun the electric mouse around before throwing the pokemon away, "Use Stone Edge," Ash instructed the ground type, Krookodile sent a barrage of stones towards Raichu, Raichu quickly got up and started to dodge the rock type move until it was hit by a few stray stones

Raichu slowly got up after two powerful attacks in a row, "you're good," Watkins announced while gritting his teeth, "Raichu, use IronTail," Watkins told the electric pokemon to attack yet again. Raichu jumped into the air with spinning around before its tail was grabbed by Krookodile, Watkins noticed a spark fly from Krookodile causing his to let out a quick snicker, "nice, now hit it with Brick Break," Watkins ordered the electric type pokemon to attack the paralyzed ground type pokemon.

"Return the favor with Dragon Claw," Ash ordered the intimidation pokemon, the two pokemon slammed their attacks into each other knocking them back towards their trianers, Krookodile remained standing but Raichu remained floored from the force of the attack, "nicely done Krookodile," Ash complimented the ground pokemon with a smile but sparks still flew from Krookodile, "static, this can be a bit of a problem," Ash said while looking at his tired pokemon, "I need to get just one hit with stone edge in the next round," Ash told himself while watching Watkins recall his fallen thunder type pokemon.

"This battle has been electric so far, but now is time for me to bring out my very best pokemon," Watkins said with a smirk, "Electivire, time to give him a jolt," Watkins said while bringing out his final pokemon to battle Ash, "Electivire, use Brick Break," Watkins told his pokemon with great confidence, the electric pokemon charged at the tired ground type with great intent.

"Krookodile, use Stone Edge," Ash commanded with vigor, the intimidation pokemon sent a volley of stones at the incoming Electivire but the stones were pushed aside with the power of Brick Break, "Dragon Claw," Ash called out in panic but Krookodile was to slow to react and was knocked back from the force of Electivire's attack, Krookodile hit the ground and tried to get back up but fell back down soon afterwards giving Watkins this round.

Watkins celebrated his one hit kill with a cheeky grin, "my most powerful electric pokemon, is unbeatable," Watkins declared with great confidence.

Ash recalled his pokemon with a frown, "you did really well Krookodile," Ash complimented with a smile, he pulled out the next pokeball, Ash looked at it for a moment and smiled, 'Salvia, time to see how well trained this pokemon of yours is,' Ash thought while throwing the pokeball at the battlefield, "Dragonair, I choose you," Ash called out for the next pokemon to battle with, Watkins looked shocked to see Dargonair.

"I have seen that pokemon before a while ago, a girl with shoulder length blue hair owns that pokemon," Watkins stated with a smile.

Ash looked at the pin master for a moment and smiled, "I guess you met my friend and coordinator, Salvia," Ash replied with a smile, "she borrowed one of my pokemon, so she thought it would be fair I borrowed hers as well," Ash explained confidently while Dragonair coiled at the ready to face Electivire.

The two pokemon and the trainers started to stare at each other waiting for the first mistake, "well are you going to make the first move or should I?" Watkins enquired with a smirk.

Ash started to enjoy the tension that was building up, "come on Watkins, surely you want to make the first move," Ash chided the pin master, the two looked on for a moment, "well if you don't make the first move then I will," Ash declared.

"You will that time passed, Electivire use Thunder Punch," Watkins called for the first attack of the final round, Electivire charged at the dragon type pokemon with an electrically powered fist, "I will end this battle in one move," Watkins pointed out with a smirk.

"No you don't Dragonair, use Dragon Pulse," Ash called for the counter attack, while Electivire was charging the serpentine pokemon quickly powered up a mighty pulse of dragonic energy before blasting the electric pokemon.

Electivire was pushed back with the powerful burst of energy, "no way, this pokemon is more powerful than I thought," Watkins said in frustration, the dragon type moved back to Ash, "Dragonair, is a very confident," Watkins said with a smirk, he watched as his most powerful team member picked himself up, "good to see that you're fine, counter with Thunderbolt," Watkins told his pokemon, Electivire sent out a powerful burst of electricity towards Dragonair.

The powerful blast of electricity, Ash watched as Dragonair broke free from the attack, "man this guy is good, I don't think Dragonair can take many more hits with that sort of power," Ash hissed in shock, he looked up to see the dragon pokemon panting after one attack, "seems like I need to be patient," Ash told himself while trying to think of a way to win this battle, "Dragonair wait for my command," Ash told Salvia's pokemon calmly, Dragonair looked towards Ash with great trust, it nodded happily while preparing to wait for Ash's command.

'He's patient,' Watkins thought while Electivire looked at its trainer uncertain of what was going on, "alright old friend, time to end this battle, Electivire, use Iron Tail," Watkins commanded with uncertainty, the electric type sprinted towards Dragonair with dominant resolve.

"Dragonair, counter with Aqua Tail," Ash instructed for the counter attack, Dragonair spun around slamming an its tail with aquatic power, the two attacks collided with devastating power knocking the pokemon back towards their trainers, "not good, Dragonair only has one attack left," Ash told himself while gritting his teeth, he looked up to see Dragonair gasping for air, 'great, I haven't helped Salvia fully train this pokemon,' Ash started to question his intentions to bring Salvia's pokemon.

"Come on surely this isn't the person that beat me with his baby Pikachu!" Surge yelled out his support to the trainer, "this battle is far from over, you only have one move left so make it count," Lt Surge ordered Ash while grinning at the trainer and his friend, "I have enjoyed this battle, inspires me to become a better gym leader," Surge professed while taking off his sun glasses.

Ash nodded at Surge's words before turning to Dragonair, "Alright, time to win this battle, for me and the princess," Ash told the dragon pokemon and towards the battlefield, "I can't compete with Electivire's power, so we need to hold our ground," Ash declared with confidence, Dragonair nodded in approval while watching Ash take a deep breath and closed his eyes for a moment to calm his nerves.

"Electivire, finish this battle with Thunder Punch," Watkins instructed his pokemon with certainty, "Ash, you're a worthy challenger but this battle is mine," Watkins stated with a smile as his pokemon charged towards the dragon pokemon with a lightning arching from its fist.

Ash looked up with a glint in his eyes and smiled, "this battle is mine, Dragonair, finish this battle off with Dragon Pulse," Ash commanded with great intensity, as Electivire ran at Dragonair with an electrically power punch the dragon type catapulted up and fired a devastating burst of dragon like energy at the tired Electivire sending dust into the air, the tired Dragon type landed in front of Ash panting heavily.

The two trainers watched as the dust began to settle, Surge was at the edge of his waiting for the result of the battle to become clear, the dust quickly settled with Electivire still standing much to Ash's surprise, the electric type collapsed from fatigue giving Ash the victory in the battle, "congratulations trainer, you have earned your second pin in this challenge, only fifteen more to go," Watkins said in laughter while recalling his fallen pokemon. Watkins walked up to Ash after he recalled the borrowed pokemon.

Ash walked to the middle of the damaged battlefield and shook hands with Watkins, "that was an amazing battle, I will battle you again sometime," Ash said nodding at the pin master, Ash received the pin as evidence of his victory, "thanks Watkins, now it's time for me to go to the Pokemon Center to heal my team," Ash said while walking out of the gym.

_(Scene Change)_

After waiting for a moment Salvia walked to the contest stage now feeling very nervous about the upcoming battle between her and Harley, she looked at Pikachu with a slight smile as she walked pass the curtains, Harley waited for his opponent to appear on the stage while his Banette was standing at the ready for the final battle, eventually Salvia made it to her end of the stage and called for Pikachu to. "The final battle of this contest is about to begin," the MC declared while the two pokemon glared each other, with five minutes on the clock the battle was ready to begin.

"Banette, Will-o-Wisp," Harley called for the first attack of the battle, Banette unleashed balls of ghostly flames at Pikachu.

"Pikachu, dodge the attack with Volt Tackle," Salvia commanded calmly, the electric type ran around the balls of fire causing Harley to lose some of his points, "now, strike with Electro Ball," Salvia declared her next attack, Pikachu jumped up and threw a powerful ball of electricity at the ghost type pokemon knocking it back towards Harley.

"What, she's good," Harley hissed while his points took another hit, Harley looked at the score board in frustration, "she knows how to counter everything," Harley said while his Banette slowly picked itself up, "Shadow Ball now," the purple haired coordinator called out in increasing frustration.

While Banette was powering up Pikachu landed back near Salvia, Salvia had a smile on her face, "alright Pikachu, jump up and use Thunderbolt," Salvia called for the next attack, the mouse pokemon jumped into the air before the powerful ghost move hit him sending more of Harley's points dropping, Pikachu powered up the devastating attack and unleashed a merciless bursts of electricity on Banette.

Harley watched in horror as half of his remaining points vanished while Salvia lost no points, "this can't be, I have trained so much," Harley said while his ghost pokemon slowly got up before collapsing again, the judges saw this and brought an end to the battle, "I lost, seems like I have a new rival," Harley said while recalling his pokemon.

Salvia looked at the board in shock as her name came out in lights, "I won, I won the contest," Salvia said while still trying to take in the victory, "Pikachu, thanks for helping me," Salvia told the electric mouse pokemon.

Salvia walked up to center stage and was given the Vermillion Ribbon, "you have amazing potential, keep up the remarkable work," the president of the Pokemon Fan Club told Salvia with a grin.

Salvia took the ribbon happily and celebrated with Pikachu, "alright Pikachu, time to see your trainer," Salvia decreed silently, Salvia walked out of the contest hall followed soon after by Dawn.

"Salvia congratulations," Dawn called out to the princess with a proud look on her face, after reaching the princess, the two started to walk to the Pokemon Center, "healing the pokemon is a great idea," Dawn pointed out.

Before reaching the Pokemon Center, Salvia grabbed Togekiss's pokeball and handing it to Dawn, "I gave you Togekiss, she belongs to you," Salvia said with a smile before Dawn took back the jubilee pokemon, the Salvia and Dawn walked into the Pokemon Center happily looking around for Ash, "where's Ash?" Salvia asked while looking around the full Pokemon Center, Salvia had the pokemon fully healed by the nurse and looked around again to try and find Ash, "Ash, where are you?" Salvia called for Ash again.

"Right behind you," Ash responded with a smile, Salvia quickly turned around while pulling out her ribbon, Ash was also quick to pull out his pin, "seems like we both won our respective contests," Ash said proudly.

"Ash, I will be traveling with you two for a while," Dawn stated with a smile.

Ash nodded in approval before walking out of the Pokemon Center, "Oh almost forgot Salvia, here is Dragonair," Ash said with a smile while handing over the princess's dragon pokemon, "it was a big help, in fact I won the battle thanks to Dragonair," Ash explained proudly while Pikachu jumped back on his trainers shoulder.

Salvia looked at Ash again with a smirk on her face, "I won the contest thanks to your Pikachu," Salvia pointed out while following Ash towards the exit of the city with Dawn following Ash and Salvia towards their next destination.

Ash looked back to see the city lights shining brightly, he turned to see Salvia standing next to him with a proud look on her face, Ash and Salvia turned around to see Dawn waiting for them, "ok you two, time to leave for the next location," Dawn said energetically as the three travelers left the limits of Vermillion City.

* * *

**Okay the two battles for Ash and Salvia end in victory they head out onto the next part of their journey through the Kanto Region.**

_**Ash's Team: Pikachu, Emboar, Krookodile, Lucario, Gabite, Serperior.**_

_**Salvia's Team: Dragonair, Clefariy Eevee.**_

**Salvia's next two pokemon will be caught in the next episode: What ones will it be?**

**Next time Episode 12: The Road to Lavender Town.**

**The next pin battle will be in two episodes time, I have also chosen the order of regional visits for Ash and Salvia with Sinnoh being the last region they will travel through (which is where the completed episode will help start the journey in that region)**


	12. The road to Lavender Town

**Episode 12: The Road to Lavender Town.**

_The trip to Lavender Town as well as Salvia capturing a couple of pokemon along the way._

* * *

King Brian looked around to see his men camping outside Fuchsia City, getting ready to make the next move to bring the princess home from her journey, the looked around the quiet city for a moment before walking towards the beach of the city, he was thinking about the battle he had with his brother and the protector of the princess, 'a stranger protecting my daughter,' the king thought while trying to keep calm.

Colin walked up to the king quietly, seeing that the king was deep in thought, "you know sire," Colin started but was interrupted by the king.

"I know what you're going to say my friend, I should come back to the hotel and have some rest," the king said quietly as Colin shook his head, "what you were going to say something else?" Brain enquired while the waves continued to crash on the shore.

Colin stood next to the king with Chatot on his shoulder and watched the waves, "I think you're over protective of your daughter, that trainer is protecting lady Salvia with all his might," Colin pointed out proudly while turning his gaze to his friend, "I know it's sudden but those two are building a powerful bond," the royal guard declared with a smirk, he turned around to leave the site, he looked back to see the king still standing at the shore front watching the sun rise over the horizon.

"What happens now? My daughter is with this peasant trainer and my brother is after her, how can I my rule the kingdom if I can't protect my daughter?" King Brain enquired in frustration while his trusted guard watched on without him realizing, the king sat down on the beach to think about the last two days, to think about the brave trainer who was protecting his daughter, "I have never seen anyone with such fierce determination," the king wondered to himself while closing his eyes.

Colin stood at the edge of the city and watched the golden disc rise over the horizon, he looked down to see the king get up and walked back towards the city, "Chatot, I am going to see how Lady Salvia and Ash are going," Colin told his partner pokemon as he walked off towards a secret location.

Colin continued to walk through the city to find a place where he could talk to the princess and Ash, he turned on his X-transceiver and pressed Ash's number, he waited for a moment only to finally see Ash's face on the screen, "nice to see you again Colin," Ash greeted the royal guard, "I was just starting to make breakfast for Salvia, Dawn and me," Ash stated with a smile while Colin looked at Ash with a smile.

"Is that so? It's so good that you are self-sufficient," Colin told Ash with a proud look on his face, Ash scanned his side of the call around the area showing him the princess and Dawn practicing their contest moves, "I see Lady Salvia is having a great time, please continue to take good care of her, the king is still very concerned for her safety," Colin pointed out while looking over his shoulder.

"I will do whatever it takes to make sure she remains safe," Ash promised the royal guard while bringing the picture of himself back into Colin's view. Ash looked at Colin with concern, "Colin, have heard much from Chris, he seems to be extremely dangerous especially with Suicune on his side," Ash explained with a frown, he looked over to see Salvia and Dawn continue their training.

Colin shook his head in frustration and closed his eyes for a moment, "No Ash, Chris has been hiding for the last couple of days, since he was almost defeated in Vermillion City, it seems like you need to be careful, the princess is with you, that means you need to be on the alert," Colin instructed the trainer with anxiety before he started to walk away from the area he was standing in, "I will check up on you and Lady Salvia later on, just make sure she remains safe, I am counting on you and so is the princess," Colin stated with a smile before closing off the call.

_(Saffron City)_

Chris was sitting in a board room with a broad dark grin on his face, sitting in front of Team Rocket's boss Giovanni, "It seems like, you failed to complete a task," said a man with short brown hair wearing a business suit, he walked around the board room for a moment and looked out the window, "Silph Co was once under my control, but I had a problem with a certain trainer many years back, Team Rocket never recovered from our embarrassing defeat," Giovanni pointed out while slamming his fist down on the table, "but thanks to your funding, Team Rocket will rise to glory again," Giovanni declared with great confidence, the rocket boss walked back to his seat and started to drink a cup of coffee, he looked over to Chris who was ashamed that her was almost defeated, "you have been very silent," Giovanni identified as his executive walked up to him with a few files.

Chris walked up to the door of the building with a grin, "I will have power beyond belief, my brother has pokemon that are the symbol of the family, I want them as soon as possible," Chris declared with anger before making it to the door, he looked over his shoulder and glared at the rocket's boss, "don't think of double crossing me, I will destroy you if you do," Chris decreed his intentions on Team Rocket.

Giovanni picked up his coffee cup and started to sip down the coffee, "I wouldn't think of it," Giovanni nodded while Chris walked out of the room. After the royal left the room Giovanni took the files and started to read it, "this is great news, when we get the princess I will become king of the world," Giovanni declared in laughter as he placed his cup down.

"Sir what about the royal?" the executive asked in critical apprehension.

Giovanni looked up to his executive and started to laugh, "he doesn't bother me too much, the only ones that bother me more is the trainer and the princess," Giovanni explained with a smirk, "send Jessie, James and Meowth to follow them and to await my next lot of orders," Giovanni instructed the executive, Giovanni then turned his gaze to a man with long dark blue hair in a rocket uniform, "Pierce, I want you to keep an eye on the king, Cassidy and Butch make sure Chris remains unaware of my plans," Giovanni ordered the remaining rockets in the board room.

"Sir," The rockets saluted Giovanni in unison before leaving the board room.

Chris was standing outside thinking about what he had to do next, "Team Rocket are a real problem, but once I get what I want from them, I will destroy them," Chris told his guards as he walked away from the building, he walked through the city without worry, 'seems like Giovanni doesn't trust me,' Chris thought with a grin, he looked around to see a man with short green hair and a woman with long blonde hair wearing the Team Rocket uniform, 'doesn't bother me too much, my goal is to kidnap the princess and rule this world with an iron fist,' Chris said in laughter before disappearing from the sight of the two rockets.

Cassidy looked at Butch for a moment with anxiety etched on her face, "you know Biff, he is a real problem, we will have to report to our boss once we get enough information," Cassidy told her partner in crime.

Butch looked at the ground with his fists clenched, "why do I bother, my name is Butch! And I know what we have to do," Butch said in frustration as he and Cassidy began their search for Chris, they started to walk towards the exit of the city and headed towards Celadon City, "we should also assist in the search for the princess as well," Butch told his partner as they made it to the city exit.

_(Outside Vermillion City)_

Salvia and Dawn walked up to the table where Ash placed pancakes, fruit juice and cereal ready to be eaten, "you know princess we need to get you a couple of pokemon that will be good for appeals, while you have a set line up for contest battles," Dawn advised happily while she put some breakfast on her plate.

Salvia looked at the food and started to think about what Dawn was telling, soon her plate was full of food, she sat down quietly and started to politely eat her food, she soon had a look of surprise on her face to find that Ash was getting better with his food, 'who is Ash trying to impress?' Salvia thought as her food started to disappear, "Ash this food is amazing," Salvia decreed happily.

Ash looked up to see Salvia walking towards the food for seconds she looked around to try and find the food, "Sir Ash, the food you cooked for us is gone," Salvia pointed towards the empty plates on the table. Salvia looked around to try and find the food but to no success, "Ash, Dawn the food is nowhere to be found," Salvia declared with disappointment.

Ash and Dawn arrived at the table to help look for the food, Ash looked around the field of grass and trees in great concern trying to find the princess who was nowhere to be seen, "Salvia, I told you not to go too far!" Ash yelled out to the princess before.

While Ash and Dawn walked around to find Salvia a small red pokemon standing on four legs with six tails ran in front of the princess, she looked on in amazement as the pokemon fired small purple orbs appeared around the pokemon, Salvia pulled out her pokedex and started to gather information on the fox like pokemon, "Vulpix and the move it is using is Will-o-Wisp," Salvia said after the information, she watched as the fox pokemon started charge towards Salvia with a flaming aura as the small orbs started to move around the flaming Vulpix, "Flame Charge," Salvia said as the next attack closed in towards the princess.

"Salvia, are you alright?" Ash asked as the princess was knocked to the ground, Ash ran up to the princess in concern for her safety, Salvia got up and push Ash away slightly, "Salvia, what are you doing?" Ash asked worried for her safety.

Salvia turned her gaze towards Ash, she looked at him with determination, "no Ash, I will deal with Vulpix myself, this one has shown great potential," Salvia stated while pulling out one of her pokeballs, "Eevee, it's time to shine," Salvia called forth a small brown pokemon ready to take on the fire type pokemon opposing her, Salvia pulled out the pokedex to find out what move her Eevee knows.

"Eevee, knows the moves Shadow Ball, Iron Tail and Double Edge," the pokedex told the princess.

"Eevee, use Shadow Ball," Salvia told the evolution pokemon, the small pokemon charged up a purple blob of energy before firing it at Vulpix, the fox pokemon was pushed back but there was very little damage done to the pokemon.

"Not good, Eevee's level is too low," Ash said as frustration began to set in, he watched as the fire type charged into Eevee with a fire like tackle, "Flame Charge," Ash said as the attack knocked the untrained pokemon back slightly, "Salvia, Vulpix is at a high level," Ash told the princess with concern.

Salvia looked over her shoulder with a smile, "Ash, thanks for your concern, but I must deal with this myself," Salvia told Ash grinning at the trainer.

Ash tried to run towards the princess but was stopped by Pikachu and Dawn, "Ash, she is right, she can't expect you to do everything for her," Dawn pointed out, she pulled Ash back while watching the princess battle against the wild Vulpix.

Salvia turned her attention back to the wild pokemon and glared at it for a moment, "you're mine," Salvia promised, Eevee picked itself up confident it can win this battle, "that's the spirit Eevee, now use Double Edge," Salvia commanded with great strength, the small pokemon charged at the fire type while it was charging at Eevee with another Flame Charge.

Ash and Dawn watched as Eevee slammed into the charging Vulpix pushing each other back towards where they came from, "strange, Vulpix are usually docile pokemon," Ash said with concern as the small fox like pokemon aggressively glared at the princess.

"I will not give up, Eevee, attack with Shadow Ball again," Salvia called for the next attack with increasing confidence, Eevee jumped up and powered up a powerful sphere of ghostly before directing at the fire pokemon which was charging towards Eevee with a combination attack of Will-o-Wisp and Flame Charge.

"I see what Salvia means about potential," Dawn stated as Shadow Ball smashed into Vulpix knocking it away from the evolution pokemon, Vulpix started to slowly get up but fell back to the ground again, "Salvia, now is your chance," Dawn told the princess confidently as the young royal grabbed her pokeball and got ready to throw the red and white device.

"Vulpix, you're mine," Salvia decreed as she threw the capturing device at the tired fox like pokemon, the trio watched as the pokeball wobbled from side to side, nervously awaiting for the noise to signify the capture, "come on, please stay inside the pokeball," Salvia pleaded as the device continued to move side to side, after about thirty seconds of waiting the pokeball stopped shaking and made the sound that the trio were waiting for, "yes I captured Vulpix!" Salvia yelled out in celebration while holding up the pokeball happily showing it to the world.

Ash and Dawn walked up to the princess willing to congratulate her on her capture, "nicely done Salvia," Ash praised her the princess quickly, Salvia soon called out the fire type that she had captured and thanked Eevee for its efforts in the battle, "Salvia, you've shown some amazing improvements," Ash said with a smile before letting Dawn applaud the royal.

"Well done princess," Dawn said happily before shaking the royal's hand.

After allowing the two pokemon to rest after the battle the trio continued on their way to Lavender Town leaving the field and into a house where it was time for the trio to have lunch, Dawn and Salvia took the chance to walk up the steps to have a chat in private, "Ash you stay where you are," Dawn instructed Ash quietly, the two girls left Ash to make Lunch for them.

Salvia and Dawn made it up stairs and made sure to close the door behind them, "Dawn, there is some much I need to talk about," Salvia directed as she walked towards the window of the building, Dawn followed her as she looked on in concern, "I am scared that I might be falling in love with Ash," Salvia confessed much to the shock of Dawn, "I mean, how can that be?" Salvia asked her friend as she burst out into laughter.

"Salvia, there is nothing wrong with it, Ash is certainly a catch, he did tell you that we were going out at one stage?" Dawn enquired with a smile as the princess nodded in approval, "he has taught you a few things already, so it is only natural that you start to gain feelings for Ash," Dawn stated with a smirk.

Salvia looked outside to see Ash training his pokemon while the two girls were chatting inside, she watched as the trainer was playing with his pokemon, "I am scared that he doesn't feel the same way Dawn," Salvia expressed her concern while looking back at her friend, "I am too nervous to tell him," Salvia explained while looking back outside.

"No need to worry," Dawn said with a grin, "when you gain the courage to tell Ash, you will be just fine," Dawn declared happily, "you just need to impress Ash, and you did that earlier today when you caught Vulpix," Dawn explained calmly.

Salvia walked towards the door of the room, "you're right Dawn, I will gain the courage to tell Ash, but I don't want to distract him from his quest to win the Master's Challenge, that's what I worry about the most," Salvia explained as she opened the door and started to walk down the steps.

Dawn followed the princess down the steps, they took a seat and waited for Ash to return from his training, "Salvia, how about we practice with Vulpix for a little while," Dawn enquired as she pulled out her pokeball, "maybe we can create some unique combinations with Vulpix," Dawn explained quietly.

Salvia picked up Vulpix's pokeball and called out the small fire type pokemon, the fire type looked up at the princess and sent a small burst of flames at her, the princess barely dodged the attack, "Vulpix, that wasn't nice," Salvia berated the fire type pokemon, just as she was about to give a command the fox pokemon arrogantly yawned and started to go to sleep, "please Vulpix listen to me," Salvia pleaded as the fire type continued to ignore her.

Dawn watched as the princess tried to get the fire type to listen to her, she listened while Salvia gave commands but Vulpix still refused to listen to her, "Salvia, it seems like Vulpix doesn't respect you," Dawn told the princess as she walked up to the small fire type with Piplup following her, "come on Vulpix, you should listen to your trainer," Dawn instructed the fox pokemon with a smile while petting it on the head.

Salvia tried to walk up to the fire type pokemon but the fox just opened its eyes and glared at her, "come on Vulpix, I want to be your friend," Salvia tried to talk to the fire pokemon but it just looked away without care.

Ash walked back inside the building to see Salvia trying to talk to the small fox like pokemon, he watched while Vupix continued to ignore her, "what's going on?" Ash asked.

Dawn stood up and walked up to Ash, "it seems like Vulpix doesn't like Salvia," Dawn explained while she walked outside with her Piplup.

Ash walked up to the princess with a smile, he placed his hand on her shoulder, "you know the way you battled today to capture this one was very impressive," Ash told the royal with a proud look on his face, "you just need to prove to Vulpix that you're its friend," Ash explained quietly.

Salvia looked up to find Ash smiling at the red pokemon, "what am I supposed to do Ash, Vulpix is ignoring my every command," Salvia pointed out with sorrow, "it knows a lot of contest style moves, I want it to enjoy contests," Salvia said while trying to move her hand closer to the small fox but it just growled at her causing the princess to suddenly move her hand back.

"There's the problem there, you're hesitating, to gain the trust of the pokemon don't hesitate," Ash instructed he princess wisely while petting the fire type gently on the head, the fire type started to enjoy the attention, "Salvia, you try petting it on the head," Ash told the princess, Salvia slowly moved her hand towards the fire type while the it glared at her, "don't go too fast," Ash said trying to will the princess on.

Salvia gently placed her hand on Vulpix and started to pat it on the head, this continued but the fox pokemon moved its head and bit its trainer on the hand, Salvia pulled her hand back in pain as the fire type placed its head back on the ground, Salvia started to cry as a little bit of blood appeared on her hand, Ash took her hand and wrapped it in a bandage, "Ash, I should just release it back into the wild," Salvia said as her confidence was now rattled.

Ash looked into her eyes for a moment, "I would advise against it, I mean I use to have pokemon just like that," Ash explained with a grin, "Charizard use to hate me, but during a battle against a Poliwrath he got frozen, I stayed up all night to thaw him out while preventing the fire on his tail from extinguishing, I gained his trust by saving his life," Ash explained happily as he finished wrapping the princess's hand up, "another friend of mine had a pokemon that hid his face in shame after a defeat, against the gym leader of her home town," Ash said quietly, "but after training with him, the pokemon regained his confidence in his trainer, you will meet this trainer during our travels," Ash told the princess calmly.

Dawn watched Ash help the princess after being bitten by the fire type pokemon, "Ash, is right, I also had a pokemon disobey me during my travels, my Mamoswine use to charge at me just for food, but I saved it from an injury and it became one of my most trusted pokemon," Dawn described her problem with one of her pokemon, "giving up is just bad and shows to the pokemon you're weak," Dawn said with a smile.

Salvia recalled the fire type and got up before walking out of the room, "thanks for helping me Dawn," Salvia said thankfully, she walked up to Ash nervously, "um… Ash, thanks for helping me," Salvia said as she started to feel nervous refusing to look into Ash's eyes, she silently walked out of the room, 'why am I too scared to tell him?' Salvia questioned before looking up to see the waves crashing in front of her, she looked around to find that Ash and Dawn following her.

Ash walked up to the princess with a fishing pole in his hand, "maybe it's time try a little fishing," Ash said as he walked up to the water front, Ash cast the line out into the ocean, Salvia watched Ash as he tried catch a pokemon from the sea, "Salvia, come here for a moment," Ash called the princess over.

The princess walked over next to Ash, "what do you want me to do?" Salvia asked nervously, Ash passed the item to Salvia.

"Salvia, try your hand at fishing, it will help you relax, it will help you think about how to gain the trust of your Vulpix," Ash explained calmly while watching Salvia hold the fishing rod, "Salvia, stay calm, when you feel the time is right reel the line up," Ash instructed while he and Dawn were watching the princess waiting for a pokemon to bite.

The royal failed time and time again but as she was about to give up Ash walked to her side, "don't give up," Ash said while placing his hand on the fishing rod, Salvia turned her gaze and smiled at Ash she placed her hand over Ash's hand, but before Salvia could say anything a sudden flash was seen, "Dawn, when did you get a camera?" Ash asked in shock.

Ash tried to chase Dawn down but as he let go of the fishing rod Salvia pulled up a white pokemon with a single horn on its head, "Ash, Dawn what is this pokemon?" Salvia asked quietly while Ash tried to grab the camera from his friend.

Ash turned around to see the pokemon, as he did that Dawn ran to the nearest town, "Salvia, that pokemon is a Seel," Ash explained with a smile, "try catching it, these pokemon are fun loving creatures," Ash remarked.

Salvia got ready to battle the sea lion pokemon, "Clefairy, it's time to shine," Salvia called out her fairy pokemon. Ash watched as the normal type got ready to fight against the water type, "Clefairy, use Metronome," Salvia ordered quickly, Clefairy started to wriggle her fingers from side to side.

'Wonder what it will be this time,' Ash thought as he began to wonder what attack will occur after Metronome, suddenly a powerful burst of energy appeared before blasting the sea lion pokemon, "amazing Thunder," Ash said with a smirk, after the powerful attack cleared up Seel picked itself up and started to power up for an ice attack, "Ice Beam," Ash called out as the attack was fired towards the fairy pokemon.

"Dodge it now," Salvia told her normal pokemon quickly, the fairy pokemon danced around the attack, after moving around the attack, the fairy pokemon fired a burst of colorful leaves at the water pokemon, "I've never seen that attack before," Salvia declared while the leaves slammed into Seel pushing it back towards the sea.

"Salvia, that move is called Magical Leaf," Ash told the princess calmly. Salvia watched as the sea lion pokemon picked itself up slowly and surrounded itself in water before flying towards the normal type with great power, "Salvia, that move is called Aqua Jet," Ash coached the princess as Seel tackled Clefairy forcefully knocking it towards the bluenette.

"Clefairy, counter with Double Slap," Salvia ordered quickly, while the water type was in the area the fairy pokemon started slapping Seel dealing a decent amount of damage to the opposing pokemon, "pokeball go," the princess threw her capturing device trapping the pokemon inside.

Ash and Salvia watched as the pokeball shook from side to side, waiting for the device to signify another capture for the young royal, 'come on, stay inside,' Ash hoped while witnessing Salvia clasping her hands together.

After a short amount of time had passed the pokeball stopped moving and made the noise to indicate the capture of Salvia's new pokemon, "Yes, I captured Seel," Salvia celebrated happily before picking up her pokeball, she walked over to Ash with a bright smile on her face, "did you see that Ash, I caught another pokemon," Salvia celebrated proud of her achievement.

Ash chuckled slightly as the princess skipped towards the humming a few notes after her capture, 'I like it when she is happy,' Ash thought while his partner pokemon looked up to his trainer, "what's the matter buddy?" Ash asked his pokemon before climbing on to his shoulder, "I just like seeing her happy that's all," Ash said trying to hide the truth from the electric mouse pokemon, Pikachu glared at his trainer before letting out a few sparks from his cheeks, "alright buddy, I admit it, I like Salvia, but I am a little nervous about telling her that's all," Ash explained with a smirk.

Ash followed the royal into Lavender Town and looked around, until he heard the princess chasing Dawn around the Town, "give me those photo's now Dawn," Salvia ordered her friend, but Dawn playfully refused to follow the royal's instructions, "please Lady Dawn," Salvia pleaded as they continued to run around the town.

While Ash walked into the Pokemon Center, Dawn looked over her shoulder to see the royal gaining on her, "not a chance princess, but I will give them to you if you promise to tell Ash how you feel," Dawn coerced the Salvia with a playful smile.

Salvia collapsed onto the ground panting from all the running, "alright, I will tell Ash, but after the Master's Challenge," Salvia promised while her friend approached her, she looked up and saw that her friend was handing her the photo.

"Don't worry princess, I plan on giving this photos to all my friends," Dawn joked as she showed the camera to the royal, "I took plenty of pictures of you and Ash together, luckily for you he is a dense person when it comes to girls, so it will take time before he realizes that he also loves you," Dawn explained while laughing at her friend.

Saliva picked herself up and frowned at her friend, "I will beat you at the Grand Festival Dawn," Salvia told Dawn with a smirk. Dawn and Salvia shook hands after the declaration of the beginning of the rivalry.

"Hurry up you two, dinner is almost ready," Ash told the girls before heading back into the Pokemon Center to grab some food.

Salvia looked at the photo of her and Ash fishing, she looked at her hand covering his, 'one day Ash, I will tell you my feelings, but not yet, I don't want you to have any distractions,' Salvia thought while following Dawn into the pokemon Center to get food and rest for the rest of the day.

* * *

**Salvia has now captured a couple of pokemon to assist her, she has also made a promise to her friend, but how long will Salvia keep her feelings a secret from Ash?**

**In two episode's time Salvia will capture a pokemon that will become important to the development of the romance between Ash and Salvia.**

**Who will Ash battle in this town? And have a guess which pokemon Salvia will capture that is important to the development of the pairing.**

_**Team updates, Salvia: Dragonair, Clefairy, Eevee, Vulpix and Seel **_

_Also the next episode will have to wait for at least two weeks due to a trip that I have been planning for the last month._

**Next time Episode 13: The spine tingling battle**


	13. The Spine Tingling Battle

**Episode 13: The spine tingling battle.**

_Okay this one took a little longer to release than I thought, I sort of had to get an application to University for a course that I am interested in and got lost on the way to applying for the course so I had to take the trip to my capital city to find the place._

* * *

Ash, Salvia and Dawn were sitting down having breakfast quietly, while their respective pokemon were getting checked up by the nurse of the medical facility, people were still asleep but the trio were preparing to get ready for their next destination, Dawn pulled out a small red colored book with gold outlines and opened it to the first page, in front of Ash and Salvia was a picture of them holding onto a fishing rod, Salvia was looking into Ash's eyes and her hand over his, she was smiling at him during the picture while Ash was looking away in a focusing on fishing.

Dawn let out a small giggle, "wow Saliva, the look in your eyes say that you're happy to have Ash helping you," Dawn explained while smiling at her doppelganger.

As Dawn was about to close the book an elderly man approached the table with the aid of a walking stick, "you know, seeing the world through photographs is amazing," he said with a smile, "my memories as a trainer when I was your age lad, was always the happiest days of my life," the man stated with a proud look on his face, "sorry about this, where are my manners? My name is Scott the ghost master of Lavender Tower," the elderly man introduced himself.

Ash had a glint in his eye knowing that he had the chance to battle against the experienced trainer, "I am Ash Ketchum, I respectfully request a battle against you," Ash requested the ghost master with great confidence.

Salvia stood up and bowed her head, "I am Princess Salvia of the Sinnoh Kingdom," Salvia replied politely.

Dawn walked next to her friends, "I am Dawn Berlitz, from Twinleaf Town also in the Sinnoh region," Dawn declared with a smile.

Scott walked up to the photo album, 'it seems like the princess is in love with Ash,' Scott thought to himself as he closed the album, he walked to the trainer with a smile on his face, "alright young man, I accept your challenge, but I warn you this battle will not be easy," Scott explained as Ash nodded with the man's remarks.

"The tougher the battle, the better for me," Ash declared with great confidence, Pikachu jumped on his trainers shoulder with sparks flying from his cheeks, "you know buddy, it's almost time for another master's battle," Ash told his partner pokemon.

Scott looked at the small yellow pokemon with a grin, "you seem to have a strong bond with this pokemon," Scott told the raven haired trainer, "at the top floor of Lavender Tower is where the battle will be played out," Scott nodded before walking back to his place, "I will be waiting for you and your friends," Scott said after walking out of the center.

Ash looked at the two girls and smiled confidently, "I will win my next pin," Ash muttered calmly as he walked up to the front desk to pick up the rest of his pokemon, the trio walked out of the Pokemon Center towards Lavender Tower confident that he would win the next battle, Ash looked back to see the two girls talking to each other quietly as the traveled to the other side of the town, "hey you two what are you talking about?" Ash asked with curiosity.

The two girls giggled for a moment before walking up to Ash quickly, "nothing Ash, just um having some girl to girl talk," the two stated in unison.

The three walked up to the tower and looked up, "it's been seven years since I was here last," Ash remarked with laughter, "you won't believe this but when I was here I died, a chandelier crashed down on top of me," Ash said with a smirk.

'But he is right in front of me,' Salvia thought to herself with concern while Ash was snickering, "But Ash, you're right here," Salvia retorted with a frown.

Ash looked over his shoulder to see the princess looking at the ground, "you see a Haunter took my soul from my body and we started to play around a bit, I even pulled a prank of Misty," Ash laughed proudly, "I picked Misty up and dropped her on Brock," Ash said while laughing even harder, the three continued to walk up to the entrance of the building.

Dawn and Salvia watched as Ash continued to laugh at one of his memories, "Ash, that was mean," Salvia said with a sigh.

Ash turned around to see the girls shrug their shoulders, "I know it was mean, but it was really funny," he said proudly. After the moment of his laughter the trio walked into the tower feeling the sudden chill of fear running down their backs, "still has the same feel," Ash said calmly while walking around the dark building.

They looked around to see old furniture over the place and broken electrical goods, "Ash, this place scares me," Salvia said as the increasing sense of being watched fell on Ash, Salvia and Dawn, just as Salvia moved away a large picture mysteriously started to float around in front of them, Salvia saw this and grabbed a hold of Ash's arm.

Ash looked down to see the fear filled princess and started to chuckle, "you know ghost pokemon are really playful," Ash remarked while trying to keep himself composed, "Gengar and Ghastly I know you haven't seen me in such a long time," Ash called out to the playful ghost pokemon, after calling out the two ghost pokemon a large purple pokemon with powerful red eyes and a large smile, floating next to it was a large ball of gas with white eyes, "I see you two are as playful as ever," Ash remarked quietly. After the sudden appearance the young royal fainted at the sight of the ghost pokemon, Ash reacted quickly and prevented the princess from getting hurt, "you two over did it a little," Ash said in laughter.

Gengar floated towards the princess and to poke her, "Ash, you know these pokemon?" Dawn asked while Ash had Salvia in his arms, Ash nodded calmly while placing Salvia on the ground gently, Dawn slowly walked up to the princess and started to grin, "Ash was right you two, you kind of overdid it," Dawn said with laughter, the two ghost pokemon started to cry and started to pass through the floor.

Ash watched this but before they completely disappeared Ash stood up and smiled at them, "you know, we aren't angry at you," Ash said before the duo picked themselves up and quickly made their way to the trio again.

Gengar pointed to a picture of the other two ghost pokemon and started to cry again, "Ash, it seems like they are missing Haunter," Dawn said as she picked up the photo, it was then that the two ghost pokemon looked at Ash and started to beg, "Ash, it seems like they want to be caught by you," Dawn explained before hearing the princess started to wake up from fainting.

The two ghost pokemon went to Salvia and started to bow in front of her, "Salvia, they are sorry for what they did," Ash declared with a smile, "oh and I am going to capture them," Ash proclaimed with a smile as he threw two pokeballs at the ghostly pokemon. The two pokeballs instantly stopped moving and signified the capture of the two ghost types, "you two be on your best behavior for the professor," Ash said as the two capturing devices teleported away towards the lab.

Salvia picked herself up and walked towards Ash and Dawn, "Ash, this place is scary," Salvia repeated over and over again while they walked up the flight of stairs, she held onto Ash's arm not wanting to leave his side, the feeling of being watched never left Salvia, but she felt comfort while staying close to Ash.

The trio continued until they reached the final floor of the tower, "alright guys this is it, time for me to win the next pin," Ash declared with even more confidence, Ash opened the door to find the ceiling covered with stones, "wow those are either used evolution stones or unused evolution stones," Ash remarked in great surprise.

"Precisely young man, I have collected a lot of evolution stones over the years," Scott stated as he stood at one end of the battlefield, Scott watched as Dawn and Salvia walked to their seats to support Ash, "this battle will be a switch battle, so we can switch at any time we choose, also you will win the scare pin if you defeat me," Scott declared with a confident look on his face. "go Chandelure," Scott called for his first pokemon of the battle.

Ash took his first pokeball and glared at the opposing pokemon, Ash drew a quick breath and threw his pokeball, "Krookodile, I choose you," Ash called out a large red pokemon.

The two pokemon looked at one another and waited for their commands, the two females in the stands gulped nervously, 'you can do this Ash,' Salvia thought while the battle was about to begin.

"Chandelure, start this battle with Flame Burst," Scott instructed his pokemon with certainty.

"Krookodile, use Stone Edge," Ash called out for the counter attack. A powerful set of rocks appeared around the intimidation pokemon before sending it towards the ghost pokemon as it sent out a burst of flames towards Ash's pokemon.

The two attacks met in the middle of the battlefield causing a powerful explosion, the two pokemon and their trainers waited for the chance, "not bad young man, but that was just a warm up," Scott pointed out calmly, "time to get serious, Chandelure attack with Shadow Ball," Scott commanded, the ghost type pokemon charged up a powerful sphere of ghostly energy.

"Krookodile use Dig," Ash commanded while the powerful sphere was fired towards the ground type pokemon, Krookodile quickly made his way underground barely dodging the incoming attack, Ash waited for a moment but Scott remained calm, "Krookodile, now hit it with crunch," the intimidation pokemon appeared from the underground and bit down on the ghost type with immense power.

Chadelure fell back after the attack but Scott noticed that the ability his pokemon activated, "you know Ash, the power of my Chandelure is Flame Body," Scott told his opponent much to the shock of the trainer, "now counter with Hex," Scott told his pokemon with vigor, after the command the luring pokemon's flames started to glow while its eyes started to glow purple, a purple and red aura surrounded Ash's pokemon dealing immense damage to him.

"Krookodile, return the attack with Stone Edge," Ash called out in desperation, the ground type sent a powerful wave of stones at the ghost type but it was too tired from the powerful attack of the opposing ghost type.

The attack landed knocking back the fire type pokemon and stopping Hex from finishing, "not bad, but your pokemon has taken a lot of damage," Scott told the trainer as the ghost type moved in front of the dark type pokemon.

The two girls stood up and started to cheer for Ash, "come on Ash, don't give up!" they yelled in unison, they watched while the ground/dark type slowly picked himself up off the ground.

Krookodile was panting after the powerful attacks and was now feeling the effects of the burning it was suffering after Flame Body, "Krookodile, return now," Ash called back his ground type and pulled out another of his pokeballs, "Lucario, I choose you," Ash called out for his next pokemon.

"Not a bad choice but you forget Chandelure is also a fire type pokemon," Scott pointed out with a smirk, but Ash remained certain that his choice would work to his advantage, "well let's see if this next choice of yours will work," Scott enquired calmly, "Chandelure, attack with Flamethrower," Scott told his pokemon, the ghost type sent out a flurry if flames towards the aura pokemon.

Ash remained calm and nodded at his pokemon, Lucario moved quickly easily dodging the incoming attack, "Now use Dark Pulse," Ash issued his command with great confidence, after the order the steel type sent out a wave of dark energy at the opposite end, the powerful wave of energy landed dealing significant damage on the ghost type.

"Didn't expect that sort of move from you young man," Scott said with a smile as his pokemon dropped onto the ground giving Ash the first round of the battle, the elderly man recalled his pokemon and got ready to call out his next pokemon, "Dusknoir, time to battle," Scott called for his next pokemon with self-assurance.

Hovering in front of Lucario was a powerful ghost type pokemon with a single red eye and a powerful set of hands, "Lucario, attack with Shadow Ball," Ash called out for the next attack.

"Confuse Ray," Scott told the gripper pokemon, the ghost type followed the command with precision sending a ball of chaotic energy at the aura pokemon hitting it causing confusion, Ash quickly pulled out Lucario's pokeball but Scott was ready, "Mean Look," Scott called for the next attack, a set of eyes appeared around the aura pokemon preventing Ash's pokemon from being recalled.

Ash start to get frustrated at the way the battle was going, "Lucario, snap out of it," Ash called for his confused pokemon but the aura pokemon was stuck in confusion and firing off aura spheres at the opposing pokemon and towards the ceiling causing a stone to hit Pikachu on the head, Ash looked back to see Pikachu glowing, he looked down to see a stone with a lightning insignia starting to fade, "what Pikachu is evolving," Ash said in shock before turning his gaze back to the battle while his pokemon was hurting itself in confusion.

"Now use Fire Punch," Scott called out for the next attack, the ghost type charged at the confused fighting type with a flaming fist.

"Lucario, use Shadow Ball!" Ash yelled out in desperation, Lucario fired a powerful ball of ghostly energy even during confusion, Ash took a glance back to see the evolution ending, standing there was a slightly larger electric type pokemon. Raichu looked down to see the thunder stone at his feet, "oh man I said he would never evolve, but that was an accident," Ash said with a frown.

Ash looked back to find that Lucario had snapped out of confusion but was now panting from the bout of confusion, "Confuse Ray again," Scott told his pokemon.

"Not this time, Lucarion dodge it," Ash told his pokemon, the aura pokemon dodged the attack and got ready to attack once more, "Shadow Ball," Ash called out for the next attack.

"Will-O-Wisp now," Scott called for his attack, Dusknoir sent forth five mysterious orbs of flames at the incoming attack causing an explosion and a stray orb slammed into Lucario causing burn on another of Ash's pokemon.

After the smoke cleared Lucario was glowing red from the last attack, "Lucario, are you alright buddy?" Ash asked his pokemon with great concern, he knew that there was no way of recalling his pokemon, "Lucario, attack with Dark Pulse again," Ash called for the next attack, the aura pokemon sent a wave of Dark energy towards the ghost type but the power of the attack was weakened due to the exhaustion of dealing with the ghost type pokemon.

"Fire Punch," Scott called out, the ghost type charged towards the tired fighting type with a flaming fist, Dusknoir punched Lucario with all it's might dealing major damage on the already tired fighting type pokemon.

Lucario collapsed in front of Ash unable to battle, Dusknoir hovered in front of its trainer panting after taking the massive hit from Lucario, Ash recalled his pokemon, "Krookodile, time to battle once again," Ash called out his previous pokemon.

Scott recalled his pokemon and got ready to call out his next pokemon, "Jellicent, time to battle," Scott called out his next pokemon, the pink and white pokemon hovered at the ready to battle against Ash this time, "Hydro Pump," Scott told his pokemon, his pokemon unleashed a devastating burst of water at the exhausted ground type pokemon.

"Krookodile dodge it hurry," Ash commanded but Krookodile was too tired to even move and took the full force of the water type move, Krookodile hit the ground after the attack knocked out of the battle, Ash recalled his fallen pokemon and looked at his pokeball in disbelief, "Pika… I mean Raichu, I choose you," Ash called for his next pokemon.

Raichu ran towards the battlefield with sparks flying from his cheeks, Scott looked on in concern but still didn't recall his pokemon, "Jellicent, use Shadow Ball," he called out for the first attack of the round, the floating pokemon lifted its tentacles and charged up a ball of purple energy before sending it to the newly evolved electric pokemon.

"Raichu, dodge the attack with Volt Tackle," Ash instructed his partner, Raichu surrounded himself with a thunderous aura before charging towards the ghost type, "now hit it," Ash told his pokemon with great confidence, the attack landed dealing immense damage but Raichu was surrounded by not only a purple aura but red sparks from the previous attack, "no not Cursed Body," Ash hissed in anger as the floating pokemon slowly picked herself up ready to battle Ash's pokemon.

"Seems like you have dealt with this ability before," Scott said with a smirk, "alright use Night Shade," Scott instructed his pokemon, his water type pokemon sent out an insidious beam towards Ash's pokemon.

"Raichu, dodge the attack, then use Electro Ball," Ash ordered his pokemon with confidence, Raichu jumped up and powered up a ball of lightning before firing it at the ghost pokemon, the attack slammed into the already tired pokemon but it still got up Raichu landed in front of Ash ready to battle on, "now use Thunderbolt," Ash commanded with great confidence.

"Jellicent, use Hydro Pump," Scott called out while Raichu was getting ready to use his own attack, a massive burst of water streamed towards the electric pokemon, as Raichu unleashed an unforgiving burst of electricity while a current of water smashed into Raichu at the same time, the two opponents took the powerful hits collapsing in front of their trainers, Raichu tried to pick himself up but to no success, Jellicent tried the same thing but fell back down.

Ash walked up to his pokemon and picked him up to help him off the battlefiels, Scott recalled his pokemon and pulled out his next pokeball, "Dusknoir, let's go," Scott recalled his pokemon back to the battle, the pokemon continued to pant but was still looking pretty strong and ready to battle against Ash's next pokemon.

Ash walked back to his side of the battlefield while hearing the girls cheering for him, he pulled out another of his pokeballs and threw it out to call for his next pokemon, "Gabite, I choose you," Ash called for his dragon type pokemon. With the two pokemon looking at each other they got ready to start the battle, Ash drew a quick breath and looked down to Raichu who was still recovering from his intense battle, "Gabite, use Shadow Claw," Ash called for the first attack of the round, Gabite charged at the ghost type pokemon with a shadowy claw but the opposing pokemon remained calm as well as Scott.

Scott waited for the much faster pokemon to get closer, "now use Fire Punch," Scott commanded with certainty, the gripper pokemon did as it was told and unleashed a devastating fire attack on Gabite, the two attacks collided and pushed the two pokemon away and back to their trainers, Dusknoir began to falter due to the exhaustion of the last battle, "now attack with Will-O-Wisp," Scott commanded, the ghost type sent out orbs of fire at the land shark pokemon.

"Dodge them," Ash told his pokemon calmly, the dragon type dodged the attacks with great ease while charging at Dusknoir, "now Gabite finish this with Dragon Claw," Ash instructed his pokemon, Gabite's claws started to glow white as it got closer to the gripper pokemon, eventually the dragon type slashed down on the ghostly pokemon dealing critical damage and knocking out the opposing pokemon, after landing the attack Gabite jumped back to Ash with a smirk on his face, "nicely done Gabite," Ash complimented his pokemon.

The elderly master called back his powerful pokemon and looked back at Ash, "not bad, we are even in this battle," Scott decreed as he picked his next pokeball, he threw it at the battlefield, "Froslass, time to battle," standing there was a mostly white pokemon with a red band, Scott looked smile at his pokemon as he got ready to battle, "alright show them you Ice Beam," Scott told his pokemon, the Snow Land Pokemon charged up a frigid beam and fired it at the dragon type pokemon.

"Dodge it now," Ash told his pokemon calmly, the dragon type moved quickly to dodge the attack, "attack with Shadow Claw," Ash commanded with a slight amount of panic, the land shark pokemon charged towards the ghost pokemon with great strength.

"Blizzard," Scott told his pokemon calmly, she followed the commanded perfectly and unleashed an unforgiving cold wind at the charging Dragon type pokemon, Gabite tried to charge through but the ice type attack gained more momentum.

"Gabite pull back and wait for my next command," Ash told his pokemon, the dragon type quickly pulled back as parts of his body looked frozen, 'I can't get anywhere near this pokemon,' Ash thought as the ice type floated there as she unleashed two powerful moves without breaking a sweat.

"Seems like you are hesitating young man," Scott pointed out with coolness, "Froslass, attack with Ominous Wind," Scott ordered the snow land pokemon, her eyes started to glow purple as a chilling wind started to slam into Ash's pokemon.

"Gabite, move away from the attack, then use Dragon Claw," Ash commanded with confidence, Gabite ran from the attack and charged at the ghost type with glowing white claws, the attack landed pushing Froslass back but she picked herself causing Ash to try and rethink his plan of attack, "this isn't good," Ash said while looking at his exhausted pokemon.

"Now finish it with Ice Beam," Scott instructed his pokemon with great strength, another frigid beam was fired at the tired pokemon, critically hitting him and knocking him out, the girls looked on in horror as the situation for Ash was starting to become desperate.

"I only landed one hit on that pokemon," Ash hissed in frustration, he called back his fallen dragon type pokemon and got ready to call out his next combatant, "Emboar, I choose you," Ash called out for his next battler, the mega pig pokemon stood there at the ready breathing flames to show his desire to battle, "Flamethrower now," Ash called for the first attack of the round.

After the powerful flurry of flames got closer to the snow land pokemon, but she dodged it with ease causing Ash to grit his teeth in frustration, "Froslass, use Water Pulse," after Scott's command she revealed a sphere of water, after the fire cleared up the sphere headed straight to Emboar.

"Dodge it with Heat Crash," Ash commanded, the mega pig pokemon jumped up and surrounded itself with a flaming aura, Froslass landed only to be hit by a powerful tackle from Emboar, "excellent," Ash celebrated, Emboar landed next to Ash with great confidence, Scott's pokemon picked herself up and glared at Ash's fire type pokemon.

"Not bad Ash, but still not good enough," Scott said with confidence, Froslass hit the ground from the severity of the attack but was still willing to battle, "Froslass return, Go Golurk," Scott returned his ghost type pokemon to call out his next pokemon.

Ash looked on as his pokemon was ready to battle, Salvia watched as Ash and was starting to get the feeling that Ash was going to lose the battle, 'Ash, please win,' Salvia thought as the much larger pokemon.

'A ground type,' Ash thought calmly, Ash recalled his pokemon and got ready to call out his next pokemon, "Serperior, I choose you," Ash called out his grass type pokemon, the grass serpent coiled at the ready to battle ghost pokemon, "Serperior, attack with Leaf Blade," Ash commanded with certainty.

"Heavy Slam," Scott called for his next attack with confidence, Golurk raised itself off the ground before flying towards the charging grass type, the two attacks collided causing a huge shockwave, Serperior was sent flying due to the weight differential between the combatants, "Ash, this move works like Heat Crash," Scott told Ash with a smirk.

Ash watched as his grass type tried to pick herself up but she was hurt from the force of Golurk's attack, "Serperior, attack with Leaf Storm," Ash ordered with uncertainty, Serperior followed the command precisely and sent out a powerful storm of leaves at the automaton pokemon.

"Roll Out," Scott ordered his pokemon calmly, Golurk rolled into a ball before rolling towards Ash's pokemon, the powerful flurry of leaves smashed into Golurk dealing immense damage to the ground type pokemon.

Ash watched as the powerful pokemon continued to approach his own, "use Leaf Blade again," Ash called out with panic in his voice, Serperior jumped up and spun around with a glowing green tail, she slammed her tail into the approaching pokemon knocking it back towards Scott, Ash watched as the ghost type slowly picked itself up much to his shock, "how can I win this battle?" Ash asked himself as Serperior started to show signs of fatigue.

Golurk fell to the ground from the severity of the last two attacks giving Ash the round, this left Scott with two more pokemon, but Ash was left with two exhausted pokemon, he recalled his tired Serperior and brought out his Emboar while Scott recalled his Froslass. Ash let out a quick sigh as he felt that this battle was starting to become unwinnable.

"Emboar, Attack with Flame Pledge," Ash called out to start this round of the battle, Emboar punched the ground having sprouts of fire emanating from the ground, the attack made contact causing the ghost type to take severe damage.

"Froslass, hit Emboar with Water Pulse," Scott ordered his pokemon calmly, the attack landed with harsh consequence, pushing the powerful fire type back towards Ash, the mega fire pig knelt down on one knee.

Ash watched as his fire type got up and started to pant from exhaustion, "Emboar, attack with Flamethrower," Ash called for the next attack, Emboar unleashed a devastating fire type attack, the move landed with critical affect knocking out the ice type from the battle, Ash celebrated for a moment but Chris remained calm, he recalled his fallen pokemon and pulled out his next pokeball, "his last pokemon," Ash said after regaining his composure, he looked over to his now exhausted pokemon.

"Gengar, time to end this battle," Scott called out his final pokemon, appearing in front of the tired pokemon was a purple pokemon with red eyes, "Gengar, use Psychic," Scott commanded with certainty, a powerful wave of psychic energy smashed into Emboar pushing him back.

"Emboar!" Ash yelled out in disbelief as his pokemon fell to Gengar's power in just one hit.

"Your final pokemon are too tired to finish this battle, you as a trainer are responsible for your pokemon's wellbeing, come back when they are fully healed," Scott told Ash before returning his Gengar, Ash looked at Serperior's pokeball in shame and then looked at his friends, "I will be ready for the rematch when you are," Scott said before walking away from the battle.

"Scott I will be back in three days to battle, thanks for the tough battle, I learnt a lot from you," Ash said while bowing his head to the more experienced trainer, 'he was right, I couldn't win in the position I was in,' Ash thought while walking up to his friends, "thanks for cheering for me Dawn and Salvia," Ash said thankfully as the trio started to leave for the Pokemon Center.

"Ash, you will beat him next time will you?" Saliva asked with a frown, Ash nodded with a smile.

"First we need to compete in the Pokemon Contest in Celadon City," Ash said with a confident smile.

Dawn and Salvia looked at Ash with an uncertain look on his face, "what do you mean by we, there is two that specialize in contests," Dawn pointed out while crossing her arms.

"I intend to compete in the contest as a part of my training to defeat Scott," Ash declared his intentions. Ash quickly walked up to Salvia and looked at her hand which was still bandaged up, "but first we need to get Vulpix to trust you," Ash said with an assuring smile.

Salvia pulled out her pokeball containing the small fire type pokemon, "how do we do that Ash?" Salvia asked with uncertainty while looking at the pokeball.

_(Outside Celadon City)_

"I want you to compete in the Pokemon Contest in two days from now, I only want the princess weakened to make her capture easier for me," Chris said with a smirk before heading into the city, "I don't want any failures in this mission," Chris instructed the mysterious person with a grin.

"Sir, I will do whatever it takes to have my old friend take the throne," the mysterious person declared with a smile before picking himself up with great confidence.

Chris turned away and continued on his way to the city to prepare for the next stage of the plan, 'Good, and very soon I will deal with Team Rocket,' Chris thought while calmly leaving the scene.

As the plan was being hatched between Chris and his friend Chatot was flying overhead to spy on the duo, the King remained nearby but was starting to gain an uneasy feeling that another battle between him and his brother was about to take place.

"Colin, what do you think is going on?" Brian asked nervously.

"It seems like your brother is intending on using the Contest as a way to get to your daughter," Colin pointed out after his Chatot landed on his shoulder. "Here my friend, you deserve a treat," Colin said while giving Chatot a gift for helping the king and his guards.

* * *

**Ash lost his first battle in the Masters Challenge, but will now take part in the Pokemon contest along with Dawn and Salvia.**

**What will this mysterious new competitor do in the next contest? Will Salvia gain the trust of Vulpix before the next contest? And what new pokemon will Salvia capture in the next installment?**

**Next time, Episode 14: Fiery new bonds.**


	14. Fiery New Bonds

**Episode 14: Fiery New Bonds.**

_This chapter will take part one day after Ash's defeat._

* * *

Ash sat down looking at his pokeballs thinking about the defeat at the hands of Scott, he watched as Salvia was doing her best to try and gain the trust of Vulpix while she was training with her team of pokemon, Dawn was training her Piplup and Quilava for the next contest but Ash was having a hard time focusing on training since his Pikachu evolved into a Raichu, he looked over to his partner pokemon who wasn't sure of his power since evolving by accident, Ash picked himself up and walked towards the electric pokemon, "hey buddy, how are things holding up for you?" Ash asked the mouse pokemon.

Noticing that Ash was still feeling a little down since his defeat Salvia walked up to Ash with concern etched over her face, "Ash, I know you will beat him next time," Salvia declared in support but Ash continued to look away.

Ash turned his gaze back to the princess and let out a quick smile, "defeat can be a good thing Salvia, I learnt my limitations in that battle, but now I have to train for the rematch to make my team stronger," Ash explained proudly.

Salvia walked back and then turned to Ash, "then let me help you!" Salvia yelled out with certainty, Ash stood up and stood opposite Salvia, "Dragonair, it's time to shine," Salvia called out her pokemon.

Ash pulled out his pokeball and got ready to battle the princess, "Serperior, I choose you," Ash called out his grass type pokemon, the two serpentine pokemon looked at each other and got ready to attack, "show me how good you are Salvia," Ash demanded with confidence. "Serperior attack with Vine Whip," Ash called for the first attack of the training battle.

"Dragonair, use Dragon Pulse," Salvia called for the counter attack, the powerful vines of Serperior flew towards Dragonair but were easily repelled by Dragon Pulse, "come on Ash, your pokemon has more experience than mine," Salvia told Ash as the powerful attack slammed into Serperior.

Ash jumped back as he started to hesitate in the choice of his next attack, "Attract," Ash called out, hearts were sent flying towards Dragonair until it was surrounded by the incoming attack, Salvia watched in horror as the attack started to take effect, "what no way, Dragonain is a female," Ash hissed in surprise.

Ash started to think more about his defeat, "Ash think about this battle," Salvia instructed Ash with confidence, 'this will get him thinking,' Salvia thought as she prepared to command her dragon type pokemon, "Dragonair, attack with Flamethrower," Salvia instructed her pokemon, I sudden burst of flames was directed at the grass pokemon, Ash looked up to see his pokemon take a critical hit, "Ash, get a hold of yourself, yes you lost, but as you said you learn from your defeats," Salvia recited Ash's words.

Ash looked up to see a determined princess ready to attack once again, "Serperior, use Leaf Storm," Ash called for the next attack of the battle.

"Much better," Salvia smiled at the trainer, the powerful flurry of leaves, the storm of leaves smashed into the dragon type pokemon pushing her back towards her trainer.

Ash watched as Leaf Storm came to an end, "I have an idea," Ash said with a renewed smile, a move that I will use in the appeals round," Ash said with a smile.

Salvia looked away in disappointment, "don't think about the upcoming contest, your main focus should be on defeating Scott," Salvia decreed with concern, but she watched as her opponents grass type disappear in front of her, 'what is Ash thinking?' Salvia thought as she looked towards Dragonair.

Ash smirked as he looked up to see his pokemon falling towards the dragon type pokemon, "Leaf Blade," Ash called out for the attack, Salvia looked up in horror while Ash's pokemon's tail started to glow green and spun around as leaves surrounded the grass type before slashing down on Salvia's pokemon, "nicely done Serperior," Ash told his pokemon with a proud look on his face.

Salvia looked on in surprise as she still tried to take in the combination move that was used against her, 'I guess he has some experience in contests,' Salvia thought calmly. Salvia pulled out her pokeball and recalled her dragon type pokemon, she pulled out another red and white device and looked at it for a moment, 'alright time to get my Vulpix to trust me,' Salvia thought as she walked away from the battle, "Ash thanks for the battle," Salvia said politely before calling out her fire type pokemon.

Vulpix looked at the coordinator and turned away before waltzing off to an unknown location, Salvia quickly started to run after the small fox like pokemon to prevent it from getting lost, Ash watched while laughing at the princess's misfortune, "Serperior, we will get some practice later," Ash recalled his grass type pokemon, Ash sat down and waited for the royal to return to the table.

Salvia walked back to the table with her head drooping in shame, "I give up, there is no way I can gain the trust of Vulpix in time for the next contest," Salvia said in shame as she sat down next to her traveling companion, "I have no idea what to do, last night I tried to give it some food," Salvia explained as she placed her head on the table gently.

Ash stood up and grabbed the young royal's arm, "come on princess, we need to get Vulpix to be your friend," Ash stated confidently as he picked her up, Ash started to walk ahead of the princess, "Salvia, where did Vulpix go to?" Ash asked as he ran in the opposite direction.

"Ash, you're going to wrong way," Salvia called out but it was no use Ash was gone leaving the princess with Ash's Raichu, "well Raichu it seems like we have to deal with Vulpix on our own," Salvia told the electric pokemon as the two started to walk off to find the fire type who had wondered off.

While the two were off in their separate directions Dawn was returning from her training for the next contest, "Ash, Salvia where are you two?" Dawn asked in amazement as her small blue pokemon jumped out of her hands and onto the ground, "I am gone for practice and they aren't here," Dawn said with slight frustration etched on her face, the anger was soon replaced by a cheeky smile, "maybe they are going out on a date," Dawn said with a slight chuckle.

While Raichu was following the princess around she heard a noise from behind, she turned around to find that nothing was there, Salvia turned around to hear the rustling in bushes in front of her, "Ash, is that you?" Salvia asked but there was no response, the noises got closer causing the young royal to panic, soon a small red fox jumped out of the bushes laughing at the royal, "not funny Vulpix," Salvia said in anger but the fire type didn't care much for what the princess was saying and ran off back to the camp, "Vulpix, return," Salvia tried to recalled the fox pokemon but it dodged the red beam with great dexterity, "come on Raichu we need to stop Vulpix from getting into trouble," Salvia explained as the two started to chase the coordinators pokemon.

Salvia ran back to the camp not noticing that Dawn was sitting on a seat eating her meal, "Salvia, where are you going?" Dawn asked her friend but she didn't get a response, she looked at the ground and noticed Salvia's fire type running in front of her, "seems like she is trying to gain the trust of Vulpix again," Dawn explained under her breath.

"Vulpix get back here," Salvia demanded but the small fox didn't take notice to care, it continued to run further and further away from a now tiring princess, Salvia collapsed on the ground from exhaustion as the fox ran away from her again, Salvia pulled out her pokeball and looked at it for a moment, she wound and prepared to throw the pokeball away, "enough I will never get it to listen to me," Salvia started crying her hand was caught in time before she did something she would regret for the rest of her life, the red and white device dropped in front of her, "what happened?" Salvia enquired as a bluenette picked up her pokeball.

"You shouldn't give up princess," she said as the princess looked up trying to dry up her tears, "you're going to have pokemon disobey you from time to time, but giving up will just be a big mistake," Dawn said with a smile as she handed the pokeball back to her friend, "I had Mamoswine disobey me for a while, even Ash had pokemon that wouldn't listen to him, but we both never gave up and gain the trust of the pokemon," Dawn explained with a proud look on her face.

While Dawn was helping the princess up Ash returned without the fox pokemon, "so did you find Vulpix?" Ash asked with a smile as a loud noise was heard from the distance, the three trainers looked over their shoulders to find out where the noise was coming from, "that sounds like Vulpix," Ash said with certainty.

Salvia jumped up and ran to where the call had come from, "Salvia, be careful," Dawn called out as the other two followed the princess with intent.

Salvia stopped running and looked around to find a sudden drop in front of her, another loud noise was heard but this time it was underneath the princess, the princess looked down to see the fox pokemon holding on for dear life, "Vulpix, I am coming for you," Salvia said as she pulled the bag off her back, "now I don't know how to tie a knot, but I have to save one of my pokemon," Salvia said as she tied the rope to the nearest tree, Salvia dropped the rope down to where Vulpix was hanging on, Salvia grabbed the rope and held on tightly as she descended down cliff face to save her pokemon.

Meanwhile Ash and Dawn had made it to where they last saw Salvia, Ash took a quick glance and saw a rope leading to the edge of the cliff, "Dawn, it seems like Salvia has found Vulpix," Ash explained with certainty.

Ash and Dawn walked up to the cliff face and spotted the Princess scaling down to rescue the small fire type, "Salvia, please be careful," Dawn called to her friend.

Salvia was holding onto the rope as she looked up to see Dawn and Ash supporting her, she slowly took one step at a time not looking down, 'one step at a time,' Salvia thought as she gulped, she began to shake but managed to contain her nerves.

'Come on princess you can do it,' Ash thought as a proud smile stretched across his face.

Salvia eventually placed her foot on a safe bit of ground, she opened her eyes and saw that the small bit of ground was enough to pick the small fox up, "come with me I will save you," the princess explained as she helped the fox out of the predicament, after being helped the small fox bit down on the royal's arm causing her to wince in pain, "you know, I see that you have potential, I am sure you want me to help you realize that potential," she explained as she picked up Vulpix and placed it on her back, "now hold on," Salvia instructed the fire type as she grabbed the rope and started her climb back up the cliff face.

Ash watched the princess with intent but looked back to see the rope loosening up from the tree, "Salvia you better hurry," Ash said in concern.

Salvia continued to scale up the rocky wall with a smile on her face, 'thank you Ash,' Salvia thought as she continued to hold onto the rope, her legs started to stiffen up and her hands started to get very sweaty, 'I don't know if I can make it back to Ash,' Salvia thought as her climb back up started to slow down.

Ash looked on in concern as the princess's hands started to slide, 'no I refuse to lose her,' Ash thought as he grabbed a hold of the rope, "don't let go, I will help you up," Ash called to the princess, Salvia looked up as her face started to heat up slightly and began to turn to a bright shade of red, "you made that effort to save one of your pokemon, don't make it for nothing!" Ash yelled out as she started to pull on the rope one hand at a time.

The fire type looked on as it turned its gaze back to Salvia, it started to smile and nodded in approval, Salvia noticed that the top of the cliff was getting closer but her hands started to slip, "I can't hold on much longer," Salvia said as her right hand let go of the rope, Salvia tried to place her hand back on the rope but she was a little exhausted.

Ash continued but this time with the help of Dawn, the two worked perfectly, Raichu looked at the rope and noticed that it was starting to become frayed, Raichu pointed that fact to Ash much to his horror, Ash pulled out his pokeball and called out a large green pokemon, "Serperior, use Vine Whip to save Salvia," Ash instructed the grass type.

Serperior quickly lowered the vines towards the princess and wrapped them around her, Salvia had her eyes closed as her left hand lost grip and but she quickly opened her eyes to see the large vines wrapped around her waist, she looked up and spotted Ash standing next to Serperior, 'Ash saved my life again,' Salvia thought as she was pulled up to safety, Vulpix jumped off Salvia's shoulder and waited for the coordinator to stand safely on the ground.

Salvia knelt on safe ground the small fox walked up to the princess and started to rub against her arm, Salvia turned her head and spotted the pokemon happily standing next to her, "wow Salvia, you gained the trust of Vulpix," Dawn said with a smile, Salvia placed her hand on the fire type pokemon and started to pet it on the head, "now you can practice your appeals for the next contest," Dawn pointed out with a proud smile on her face.

Salvia stood up and started to walked towards the camp with Vulpix following her, she looked over her shoulder, "thank you Ash and Dawn, you saved my life," Salvia gratefully declared as the trio started to walk back to the camp, Salvia looked around the tree lined path as a gentle breeze blew through the area, it was starting to get dark as clouds started to roll in from Lavender Town.

Ash looked up to see a spark of lightning streak across the sky, "seems like we need to get to some shelter and we are still at least three hours away from the underground path to Celadon," Ash explained while a peel of thunder shook the area, "guessing from that rumble of thunder I don't think we have much time before the storm hits," Ash said with laughter.

The trio finally made it back to the camp and grabbed their bags, Salvia looked over her shoulder and saw a sudden movement in the bushes behind them, "Raichu, that's not funny," Salvia said as she approached the bush thinking that Raichu was playing tricks with her, Salvia looked back towards Ash as another crack of thunder rattled the area.

Ash shrugged his shoulders as the wind started to pick up and small drops of water began to fall, Ash walked over to Salvia for a moment and started to direct her back to the camp, "Salvia, Raichu is with me."

Salvia looked down to see Ash's electric pokemon standing next to him, she turned her head back to the bushes while rumbles of thunder continued to increase in frequency while the lightning was lighting up the sky, "yeah, we better find some shelter," Salvia said while the trio finished packing up the camp.

The trio walked started to run as rain began to heavily fall, Ash looked around to find a large building, "there, we can take shelter in there," Ash told the girls.

Ash, Salvia and Dawn made it to the building while the rain continued to fall heavily, Ash looked at the door to find that it was looked, "Ash, is there something wrong?" Dawn asked the raven hair trainer, Ash turned his gaze to the strengthening storm, "Ash, this place is abandoned," Dawn pointed out calmly.

Ash pulled out one of his pokeballs, "Emboar, open this door for us," Ash called out and instructed his pokemon, the mega pig pokemon hit the door with great intensity opening the door. The trio walked in followed by Ash's two pokemon, Ash placed his hand on the wall and flicked the switch to turn the lights on.

The lights flickered before turning on fully, the lights flickered more due to the intensity of the storms, "we will stay here until the storm passes," Salvia said as she walked further into the building with Dawn, "it seems like this place was left for some reason," Salvia explained nervously.

Dawn looked over her shoulder to find a set of doors, Salvia and Dawn pushed the doors open to see a large arena, "this is a battlefield," Dawn said with a smirk, Dawn and Salvia explored some more while Ash walked into the arena the made it to the back to find the rest rooms of the place, "we can use this place to clean up," Dawn said quietly as she walked into the rest rooms, 'amazing, why would people leave this place?' Dawn questioned as she walked out of the rest room to meet up with Ash and Salvia.

Ash looked around for a moment while thinking about the possibility of the use of the arena, "we can use this place to train up," Ash said happily but the girls weren't interested they hand Ash their respective pokeballs and ran back into the rest room, "hey don't leave me alone," Ash called out to the girls.

Salvia's head appeared from the room and smiled at Ash, "you can wait your turn," Salvia said before disappearing again into the rest room.

Ash looked away for a moment and walked around the arena, "while they are getting cleaned up we better train as well, the best choices are Emboar and Serperior, if I can build on their stamina they will win the battle against Scott's ghost pokemon," Ash told himself calmly while calling out his pokemon ready to train. "Serperior, I will take command while you Emboar will battle as you need to," Ash declared.

Raichu stood there waiting for the battle to begin between the two powerful pokemon, Ash looked down to see his pokemon worry about the battle, "it's fine buddy, your chance to battle will be soon," Ash explained quietly as Emboar started the battle with Flame Charge, "Serperior, dodge the attack now," Ash commanded with certainty, "now attack with Leaf Blade," Ash called out for the next attack of the battle.

Emboar jumped back to dodge the fast approaching attack and charged at his team mate with a powerful Brick Break attack, "Emboar, try to avoid using Fighting type move, Ghost type pokemon aren't phased by those attacks," Ash told his pokemon calmly as the attacks landed pushing the powerful pokemon back towards their original positions, "Serperior attack with Leaf Storm," Ash called for his pokemon most powerful attack, a barrage of leaves spun in a tornado form at the fighting/fire type.

Emboar sent out a flurry of flames towards the tornado or leaves, "not bad," Ash said as the fire engulfed the leaves preventing Leaf Storm from getting closer, the two attacks dissipated causing the two attacks to fall to the ground harmlessly with the leaves glowing red and orange.

Ash recalled the two pokemon as the thunder got louder and the rain heavier, Ash sat down to wait for his turn to take the rest room thinking about the next challenge, Ash closed his eyes while waiting for the two girls to complete their showers, while his eyes were closed Ash heard a harmonious voice emanating from the showers, he quickly opened his eyes to listen to the singing from the rest room, "amazing, such a beautiful song," Ash told himself under his breath.

Ash looked at his electric pokemon and began to wonder who it was that had the amazing voice, "who do you think it is buddy," Ash asked as they both shrugged their shoulders.

After waiting for a while Ash stood up after hearing Salvia and Dawn exit the rest room, "Ash you can take the shower now," Dawn told Ash with a smile as they grabbed their pokeballs and took Ash's pokemon and walked over to the exit of the battlefield, they opened the door and looked even further into building, Salvia looked into another room to find a kitchen set, "Dawn, this place wasn't abandoned," Salvia explained quietly.

Dawn looked at her friend for a moment and nodded in agreement, "yeah I agree, this place is a resort, but it seems to be closed for a while," Dawn stated with a smile, "but the amazing thing about this place is that pokemon can thrive in as well," she explained as she pointed over to a few wild pokemon in the room, "there are quite a few of them as well," Dawn said a Raichu appeared in front of the girls, "Raichu, Ash wouldn't be happy if you keep walking in different directions," Dawn said as she walked up to the Raichu.

Salvia looked around the room and spotted another Raichu, "Dawn, I don't think that is Ash's Raichu, because he is standing here next to me," Salvia pointed over to Ash's electric pokemon, Salvia walked over to the other Raichu but it jumped back with sparks flying from its cheeks.

"Seems like you fell into our little trap," A woman with long red hair declared with laughter.

Salvia and Dawn looked up to see two people and a Meowth, "Team Rocket, what do you want?" Dawn asked with anger.

"Thanks for greeting us, but now you will hand over the princess immediately," James said with a smirk. "we knew that the storm was coming so we found this nice resort, we decided to use this place to take the princess from her protector," James explained with a smirk as he walked up to the ledge of the to get ready to complete the ambush, "but since your knight isn't here princess we will be taking you," James declared with conviction.

Salvia glared at the rockets with a frown, "what so you can hand me over to my uncle?" Salvia asked with anger as the rockets jumped off the next floor and landed gracefully in front of the two bluenettes, "well answer me! Are you going to force me to visit my uncle?!" Salvia asked in increasing anger.

Dawn looked over to the princess and placed her hand on her shoulder, "calm down, this is what they want," Dawn pointed out while Ash's Raichu stood between with sparks flying from his cheeks, "Raichu use Thunderbolt," Dawn commanded Ash's pokemon with certainty, Raichu powered up the attack and unleashed a mighty burst of electricity was directed towards the three rocket members but they jumped out of the way of the attack, "Salvia we need to get back to the arena," Dawn told the princess calmly.

The two girls ran back to the door only to be stopped by a coffin like pokemon and a large purple pokemon in the other direction, "you are trapped, now princess you will come with us," Jessie ordered quickly.

Salvia pulled out one of her pokeballs but before she could call out her chosen pokemon Vulpix appeared from one of the devices, "Vulpix, I was going to choose Dragonair," Salvia explained quietly, "but if you want to battle then so be it."

"Quilava spotlight," Dawn called out her fire type pokemon.

Dawn and Salvia stood back to back ready to battle Team Rocket's more powerful pokemon got ready to battle while Raichu stood next to Dawn, much to the surprise of Ash's Raichu the other Raichu stood at the ready to battle against Team Rocket, "seems like you two have four pokemon against our two, that's not fair, go Arbok," Jessie called out for her serpent like pokemon.

"When we started our last operations in Hoenn we managed to get a few old friends back," James pointed out with laughter, "Wheezing lets go," James called for his poison type pokemon, "used Sludge Bomb," James ordered his pokemon to attack the other Raichu, "Cofagrigus attack Vulpix with Shadow Ball," James commanded with great confidence, two spheres appeared in front of the two pokemon as they got ready to attack.

"No you don't Vulpix attack with Will-O-Wisp," ordered for the next attack as the Raichu teaming with her Vulpix unleashed a powerful burst of electricity before the two opposing pokemon could finish powering up their attack the team work of Vulpix and the wild Raichu overwhelmed James' pokemon quickly.

As the battle was starting to heat up Jessie, James and Meowth received a call from their mobile phones, "what? You want us to forget about the mission for now?" Jessie enquired with anger as she glared at the two girls, "but sir we have the princess right where we want her, we can kidnap her now," Jessie pointed out before recalling her pokemon calmly, "very well, we will pull back to Celadon City to help out with the next stage of our plans," Jessie said as the Rocket Trio threw down a smoke bomb to aid in the departure of the battlefield.

After the smoke cleared up Ash appeared in the hallway ready to leave, "what happened here?" Ash asked as he looked around the hall way, "it looked like there was a battle while I was getting cleaned up," Ash said quickly as he started to walk towards the exit, "you know I figured something out this place is closed for a few months because this area is a resort," Ash said with a proud smile as the girls giggled slightly, 'maybe when this place opens for a season I can bring Salvia here,' Ash thought with a nod. The girls watched as Ash hit himself for some unknown reason, "what in the world am I thinking about?" Ash asked himself while Raichu walked up to his trainer.

The wild Raichu walked up to the princess with a smile and smiled at her, "what you want me to capture you?" Salvia questioned the electric type, she pulled out her pokeball and tapped the electric type on the head with it. The ball wobbled slightly and quickly signaled that the capture was complete.

"Hey girls come have a look at this!" Ash called out to the but the only one to exit the building was Salvia, Dawn stayed back to watch what was going to happen next, "a rainbow," Ash said quietly not realizing that Salvia was standing next to him.

Dawn continued to watch for a moment, 'come on take her hand,' Dawn thought with a smile, but was quickly disappointed as they walked away from the building, 'great now I have to force them to realize just how close they are,' Dawn thought with a cheeky smile. "Hey wait for me, I am heading to Celadon too," Dawn called over to her friends as she ran up to them.

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**Alright the end of this episode and the third to last of Dawn's first cameo of the story, hope you enjoyed this one and please make a request on the next character to make a cameo appearance which I plan to make after Ash's next masters battle. Will not be May or Drew I plan for that to happen in Hoenn as permanent Travelling companions. **

**What is Team Rocket's plan in Celadon City? And how does it tie in with Christopher's plans? Will Salvia win her next ribbon?**

**Find out next time in Episode 15: The Contest Crisis.**

_Salvia's Team: Dragonair, Raichu (female), Eevee, Vulpix, Clefairy and Seel_


	15. The Contest Crisis

**Episode 15: The Contest Crisis.**

_This episode will start in the first round of the contest battles of the Celadon Contest, but will lead into the main event which will continue on until the next episode, please enjoy._

* * *

Sitting in the coordinators lounge a dejected Ash sat there after being eliminated from the contest due to his appeals round, with thoughts rushing through his head he pet his Raichu on the head and smiled at the electric type creature, "you know buddy, I haven't been able to focus on much lately, it wasn't my defeat against Scott, it's something else that I cannot explain," Ash explained to his pokemon with a worried smile, he looked up to the monitor to watch Salvia perform with Vulpix completing her appeals round with a combination that not only stunned the crowd and the judges but the fellow coordinators.

Ash looked around to see Dawn look on with a worried look on her face, "wow, she is showing more and more confidence," Dawn said with a sigh, "I hope to battle her to win my third ribbon," Dawn said with a confident grin, she was approached be a mysterious man, he passed her causing her to get a sudden chill down her back, 'what is this feel? This dark feel,' Dawn thought as Salvia walked into the lounge proud of her performance, Dawn watched as the man walked passed Salvia, "who is that man?" Dawn asked in concern.

"This will be your last contest princess," the man said before leaving for the battle round.

Salvia turned around to watch him leave with the smile wiped off her face, "what was that all about?" the princess asked as she was approached by her friends.

Ash looked at the worried princess before looking back towards the exit of the coordinators lounge, "what did he say to you?" Ash asked with his anger rising but Salvia wasn't listening to Ash for a moment, she turned back to door way with concern on her face, "Salvia, Salvia, pokemon world to Salvia," Ash continuously called to the princess while waving his hand in front of her face.

Salvia turned her gaze back to Ash with a frown, "Ash, what did you say?" Salvia asked while regaining focus.

"He asked you about what that man to you," Dawn decreed with a frown.

"He said this will be my last contest," Salvia explained with worry, "he can't be one of my dad's men, I would have recognized him if he was."

Ash quickly ran out of the room trying to find the man, he looked around to find out why he told Salvia why it was the last contest that she would be competing in, "why would someone say that to the princess?" Ash asked himself while his anger started to build, he looked around until he found a room that was supposed to be closed and out of bounds to all coordinators, "odd, no one is supposed to be here," Ash quietly told himself before pushing on the door, he opened it slightly to peer into the room, he spotted the mysterious man talking on a video phone, 'what's going on?' Ash asked himself in thought.

While watching the man he listened into the conversation, "sir, the princess is in the next round," the man said calmly.

Ash took a quick look and found that the man he was talking to was Salvia's uncle, "good, I will have someone rig the draw so that way you face Salvia in the final," Chris told the man. "your goal isn't to win the contest, you just have to weaken her pokemon to make the capture easy," Chris instructed the man quietly.

Ash turned around to discover a guard standing behind him, "not good," Ash said before being escorted out of the building, "I need to help one of my friends," Ash told the guard but he wasn't listening, he closed the door and left Ash to try and find a way back in to help Salvia, "no it's locked," Ash hissed as his frustration built up.

While Ash was trying to get back into the building the guard let out an evil smile, "that prevents her protector from getting involved," the guard said before walking back to his post, "sir, what should we do about her knight?" the guard said calmly.

"Nothing he is out of our way for now, since he can't make it back into the building he is not able to protect the princess," Chris told the guard with certainty, "tell the other men to get into position, the time to kidnap the princess is after she gets her ribbon," Chris instructed before walking up to the exit of the building, "too bad for you, this time you will not get in my way," Chris told the trainer before turning around as he laughed arrogantly.

Ash watched Chris walk away from him and started to punch the door but to no avail, "I will protect her no matter what!" Ash yelled out in anger, he looked at his wrist and decided it was time to get some help, "maybe Colin can help out, never expected the king to be of assistance as well," Ash said now that his choice were limited.

Ash pressed the number in to call his ally, "Ash, it's been a while how are things going for you and the princess?" Colin asked with a smile.

Ash gave Colin a serious look and started to tell Colin everything, "I was kicked out of the contest hall by a guard that was working for the kings brother," Ash explained with a frown, "not only that, Chris is in the building waiting for Salvia to win her second ribbon, when she wins her ribbon he will kidnap her after being weakened from battle," Ash told Colin the plans to take the princess.

Colin grabbed his chin and started to think of a plan, "not good," Colin said while starting to make a plan, "alright Ash, meet me at the Celadon City Pokemon Center I will be there in a few hours, you will need to get your strongest flying type," Colin declared calmly.

"Colin, my strongest flying type went off for training, I can only use Salamence," Ash explained with a smile.

"Just do what you need to do, I will be there as soon as possible, it might seem like we have to rescue the princess," Colin said with a grimace.

Ash nodded and left the area to go to the Pokemon Center, 'Salvia, please be careful,' Ash hoped as he ran to the medical facility, Ash turned his gaze back to the Contest Hall and spotted Jessie, James and Meowth walking on the roof, "this is bad, Team Rocket are getting involved as well," Ash told himself while running towards the Pokemon Center, 'Raichu, please keep them safe,' Ash thought while trying to keep calm.

Ash made it to the Pokemon Center and walked up to the phones to give the professor a call, "so Ash you're giving me Krookodile for your Salamence?" the elderly professor enquired calmly, the two devices were exchanged from each end of the call.

Ash grabbed the pokeball and nodded to the professor, "thanks professor," Ash gratefully said before ending the call, Ash walked up to the TV and switched it on to see how things were going at the contest, 'Dawn is battling that mysterious man,' Ash thought nervously.

Meanwhile at the contest hall Dawn was facing the man with confidence with her pokeball in hand, 'Ash where are you?" Dawn asked while looking around to spot Ash in the crowd.

The MC went through the rules of the contest battle while the crowd was going crazy, "Electivire, lets electrify," the man called out for his pokemon in the first round of the battle.

Dawn threw her pokeball to call for her pokemon, "Mamoswine, spotlight," Dawn called out a large brown pokemon with long white tusks, "you won't win this battle, ground types have the advantage over electric types," Dawn declared with even more confidence, she looked at the mysterious person who remained calm, 'he is way too calm,' Dawn thought to herself as five minutes showed up on the clock, 'what is he planning?' Dawn questioned as she began to gulp.

"You have already lost," the man said in a dark tone.

The MC called for the battle to begin, "Momoswine, use Ice Fang," Dawn demanded of her pokemon to attack, Mamoswine charged towards the electric pokemon with great intent and the two tusks glowing bright blue before being surrounded by ice.

The mysterious coordinator stood there calmly waiting for Mamoswine to get closer, he lifted his head up, "Brick Break," he called out coldly, Electivires fists started to glow before punching the incoming ice type pokemon, Mamoswine slammed into the ground knocked out of the battle giving the battle to the mysterious coordinator, the crowd grew silent as he recalled his pokemon and walked back to the coordinators lounge.

Dawn stood there in disbelief at losing in one move, "whoever this guy is, he is trouble, Ash where are you? Salvia and I need some help," Dawn said under her breath, she recalled her pokemon and waved to the crowd, she walked back while Salvia ran towards center stage, "Salvia use your strongest pokemon, that being Dragonair, using Clefairy is a bad idea," Dawn told her royal friend calmly.

Salvia nodded while watching Dawn heading towards the lounge, "whoever he is, his pokemon are very strong," Salvia told herself before the man walked passed her, a sudden chill ran down the princess's back, 'I sense a dark energy from him,' Salvia thought as she entered the arena.

"The battle between Melissa and Salvia will soon begin," the MC declared with a smile, the crowd had finally recovered from the devastating lose that Dawn suffered. "Please call out the pokemon you intend to use in this round of the contest," the MC told the coordinators.

"Dragonair, it's time to shine," Salvia called out her dragon type with certainty.

Melissa gulped for a moment nervous to face Salvia's pokemon, "Parasect, show them you beauty," Melissa called out for her pokemon.

The MC signified the battle to begin, the clock started with the two coordinators looking at each other, the crowd waited for the first move to take place, "Dragonair, start things off with Dragon Pulse," Salvia commanded with assurance, the dragon type sent out a powerful burst of energy towards the mushroom pokemon landing the attack with great power, sending Melissa's points plummeting.

"Counter it with Slash," Melissa demanded quickly, the bug type charged towards the dragon type pokemon with its sharp claws.

"fight back with Flamethrower," Salvia instructed her pokemon with confidence, while Parasect charged at Dragonair, the powerful dragon type sent out a devastating burst of flames towards the charging pokemon, the attack landed with deadly precision causing a critical hit.

Melissa watched as her pokemon collapsed from the powerful attack the judges stopped the battle from going any further, "wow she is good," Melissa said with a smile, Salvia walked up to her opponent and extended her hand, "you're not too bad, I hope to face you again someday," Melissa said with a smile while shaking the princess's hand.

"I hope to face you again as well," Salvia said before walking back to the coordinators lounge room.

Salvia continued to walk until she spotted the person that she would most likely meet in the final, she was alone and started to feel a little scared of the man, he approached her without saying a word, "don't lose in the next round of battles," the man instructed the princess coldly before leaving the site to face his next opponent.

Salvia watched as he walked back to the contest battle stage nervous about facing him as an opponent, "who is he? Even the MC doesn't know who he is," Salvia enquired with a frown, she turned her gaze back to see Dawn and Raichu approaching her, "Dawn, Raichu good to see you," Salvia greeted her friends, she looked around to try and find Ash, "I thought Ash was going to stay and support me," Salvia said as she turned her gaze back to her friends.

"We tried looking all over the place for Ash, but he isn't in the building," Dawn explained with certainty, "we don't have much time, you need to rest before the next battle," Dawn explained quietly while leading the princess to the lounge room.

Meanwhile the mysterious coordinator was talking on the phone to Chris, "alright it shall be done, I will take out her next opponent," he said with a smirk, he spotted a male coordinator who was meant to be Salvia's next opponent in the battle rounds, "hey young man, I can help you heal your pokemon," he said while walking up to the coordinator.

"My pokemon do need a bit of a break," he replied happily, he followed the man confidently.

After leading the coordinator to a strange room he knocked him out with little effort and closed the door and locked it to prevent him from escaping, "now to begin the plan," he smirked while walking away, the phone rang again, "sir, the princess's foe has been taken care of," he remarked calmly before heading off to center stage, "she will get into the final round without expending more energy than she needs to," he stated with a dark laugh.

"Excellent, now all you need to do I throw the battle against her, but weaken her to make sure she doesn't resist," Chris ordered his friend, "soon Alex my friend we will be able to lead this world while the princess and her family serve us in chains," Chris laughed loudly before hanging up, 'soon every part of my plan will lead me to world domination,' Chris thought proudly as he watched his friend beat another coordinator in one move, 'what a show off,' Chris thought with a proud grin.

At the Pokemon Center Ash was watching the contest until Colin finally showed up, "Colin, nice to see you again," Ash called over to his friend.

"Ash, I don't have much time, the king will start to get suspicious if he finds that I am gone for too long," Colin explained sadly, "we need to do things quickly."

Ash nodded quietly, the trainer turned his gaze to the TV and saw that Salvia was getting ready to battle, but strangely her opponent wasn't anywhere to be found, "if Sammy isn't here in five minutes you will forfeit the match," the MC declared with a frown, Ash watched and waited to see if Sammy was going to make it to the battle on time.

"Odd, something is just not right," Ash hissed before heading out of the medical facility, "let's go Colin, we don't have much time," Ash called out to his ally.

Colin ran out of the Pokemon Center and followed Ash to the Contest Hall, "this must be the work of Alex," Colin stated under his breath, "not good, Chris has called upon everyone that is loyal to him," Colin said while following Ash as he rushed through the city towards the Contest Hall. Colin looked up to see Ash getting ready to call out his flying pokemon, "Ash, we need to make it to the roof of this building, I hope you have Salamence with you," Colin hoped as he pulled out his pokeball, "Chatot, get me up to the roof," Colin instructed his pokemon, the parrot like pokemon grabbed Colin by his hand and pulled him up to the roof quickly.

"Salamence, fly me up to the roof of the building," Ash instructed his mighty dragon, the large blue pokemon allowed Ash onto his back and flew up to the roof without hesitation. After landing on the roof of the contest hall Ash and Colin ran towards the secret door on the roof, "Colin we can enter through here," Ash explained calmly.

A powerful attack exploded in front of the two men trying to enter the building, they heard laughter but tried to ignore it as much as possible, "And where do you think you're going?" asked a familiar voice.

Ash and Colin turned around to find the Rocket Trio standing behind them, "Team Rocket, why are you here?" Ash asked in anger, "scratch that, I know why you're here, you are going to stop us to prevent the princess from being kidnapped," Ash answered his own question.

Jessie, James and Meowth burst out into laughter, "very good, but Team Rocket has it's own objectives, which will be revealed soon enough," James confessed with a grin, "but until then you two will not get any closer to that door," James told Ash and Colin while calling out a coffin like pokemon, "Cofagrigus, attack them with Shadow Ball," James ordered assuredly, the powerful ghost type fired a powerful ball of shadowy energy at the two men trying to rescue the princess.

Ash and Colin dodged the attack and pulled out their pokeballs at the same time, "Gabite, I choose you," Ash called for his pokemon.

"Ampharos, let's show them what we are made of," Colin called for his pokemon, the large yellow pokemon stood at the ready to battle Jessie and James, "you two think we will let you get away with kidnapping the princess," Colin declared in anger.

Jessie burst out into laughter as her turn arrived to call for her pokemon, "Seviper, go!" Jessie yelled out as her large black snake like pokemon coiled at the ready to battle the team of Ash and Colin, "it doesn't matter how strong you losers are, we are just here to keep you busy," Jessie explained their part of the plan.

Ash and Colin stood back to back as their opponents got ready to attack, "Ash, I need you to deal with Seviper," Colin instructed Ash with assurance, "I will deal with Cofagrigus," Colin explained as his electric pokemon got ready to attack.

Ash spat at the ground and glared at the two rockets, "Gabite, attack with Dragon Claw," Ash instructed his pokemon calmly, the land shark pokemon charged at the fang snake pokemon with glowing claws.

"Quick Seviper, return the favor with Poison Tail," Jessie commanded with great confidence, the two pokemon met halfway and collided with immense power, the two pokemon fell back towards their trainers after the powerful hit, "now attack with Poison Fang," Jessie instructed for the next attack.

"Gabite, counter with Brick Break," Ash told his pokemon as the bursts of power pushed him forward as the battle behind him started to rage, his dragon type charged towards the incoming opponent, "do it Gabite!" Ash yelled out in anger as the two pokemon collided again this time the two pokemon weren't giving each other an inch of space and continued to fight with ferocious intensity.

"Use Thunderbolt," Colin gave out his command.

"Shadow Ball," James followed soon after, the two powerful attacks smashed into one another causing a powerful explosion, but after the smoke cleared the two pokemon were still standing, "well I guess this warm up had to come to an end," James smirked confidently. "Use Dark Pulse," James told his pokemon to attack yet again.

"Attack with Charge Beam," Colin called out for the next attack, this time Ampharos' attack bypassed the dark blast and smashed into the ghost type dealing significant damage, "keep going Ampharos, this time use Thunderbolt again," Colin called out for the next attack, Ampharos sent out a mighty burst of electricity.

"Cofagrigus, use Protect," James instructed his ghost type pokemon coolly, a green barrier formed between the coffin pokemon and the incoming electric attack preventing any damage from occurring, "now hit Ampharos with Shadow Ball," James commanded with certainty, a large sphere of ghostly energy built up before being blasted at Colin's thunder type, the attack connected pushing Ampharos back.

"Ash how are things going for you?" Colin asked the trainer while looking over his shoulder.

Ash looked up and smiled, "could be better Colin," Ash retorted while gritting his teeth, "Gabite, attack with Dragon Pulse," Ash told the land shark pokemon.

While the unsuspecting crowd were getting ready to watch the final battle between Alex and Salvia, Chris was on the rafters waiting for the perfect time to strike, 'almost time for me to take over the Sinnoh Kingdom,' Chris thought quietly as he watched and waited.

"Sir there is a battle on the roof tops, between Team Rocket and the team of Salvia's protector and Colin," one of Christopher's men reported back to him, "Team Rocket are barely holding their position, but they should give us enough time to take the princess," he said with confidence.

Chris looked down to see the MC calling out the two coordinators, "make sure the prisoners are still bound, we don't want the real guards jumping in on us," Chris explained before the soldier left the scene, "now my niece, time to see what you're made of," Chris told himself as he prepared the harness, he grabbed his phone and called for one of his men to get ready to flick the switches, "you know to flick the switch when she receives her ribbon?" Chris told his female operative. 'excellent now all we need is for Alex to throw the battle,' Chris thought with a grin, "with Colin and Salvia's knight being kept busy there is no way that this plan with fail," Chris assured himself as he watched the battle begin.

On the battlefield the crowd was cheering as Salvia took an early lead in the battle, "what? Dawn didn't land a hit against this guy," Salvia told herself as she started to become a little cautious.

Dawn was sitting in the lounge room wondering what was going on, "Piplup, I have a bad feeling," Dawn said as a heavy feeling pressed down on her, she continued t watch Salvia battle her opponent but the uncertainty was continuing to build as the time progressed, "it's no coincidence that Ash mysteriously vanished, I think he is outside, if so then…" Dawn started before heading out of the room but she was stopped by one of the guards, "get out of my way!" Dawn demanded with anger as she pulled out one of her pokeballs, "Togekiss, spotlight!" Dawn called out her pokemon to battle the guards.

"I am sorry but we can't allow the princess's friends to get in our way," the guard said while smirking, Dawn looked over her shoulder to see Salvia increasing her lead cautiously as the timer started to wind down in to the last ninty seconds, "once the princess wins the battle master Chris' plans will begin," the guard said with a dark assurance.

"Move! If you don't move, I will make you move!" Dawn yelled out as she got ready to attack but the guards just laughed at her while the jubilee pokemon started to glare at the guards, "fine you asked for it, Togekiss push these guys back with Aura Sphere," Dawn told the jubilee pokemon, a powerful sphere of aura appeared from Togekiss before blasting the guards with the attack, the guards jumped back barely missing the attack, Dawn clenched her fists in anger as she ran out of the lounge room with two pokemon following her, "what are those pokemon?" Dawn asked with uncertainty.

"Bisharp, dark and steel type pokemon native to Unova," one of Chris's men retorted calmly.

Dawn smiled at hearing the response and turned around to face the two dark types, "dark and steel types, well if that's the case, Togekiss, attack with Aura Sphere," Dawn commanded again with confidence, another two balls of aura appeared in front of Togekiss sending it towards the two dark types.

As the battles in the hall way was raging on smoke appeared behind Salvia, she looked back to see Dawn fighting off two guards, 'Dawn, why is she battling?' Salvia asked herself but soon turned her gaze back towards her exhausted dragon type, she looked up to the leaderboard to find her points untouched and her opponents miles behind, "he is making commands but it's like he isn't making any effort," Salvia said in shock, "Dragonair, wipe the last of his points out with Ice Beam," Salvia instructed the dragon pokemon, Dragonair sent a frigid beam towards the electric pokemon, the attack landed causing critical damage taking out the remaining points of her opponents.

Salvia looked on in amazement, but it was soon replaced with more questions to why she won the battle, "and there you have it ladies and gentleman, Salvia has won the Celadon Ribbon!" the MC yelled out happily, the winning team appeared on the main screen causing the crowd to enter into a frenzy.

Salvia ignored the cheering crowd and started to think about where Ash went to, she spotted Dawn again continuing the fight against her adversaries she was pushed out of the hallway as the two guards continued to push her back, "I win this battle, but why do I get the feeling that my opponent threw the battle?" Salvia questioned as she walked up to the podium with a serious look on her face.

"Present the Ribbon, I will hold these guys back," Dawn said bravely as she continued to battle the two opposing pokemon, "Salvia, these guys are working for your uncle!" Dawn yelled out in anger as she continued to fight on, 'I was developing this for a contest later on,' Dawn thought as she looked back towards her opponents, "Togekiss, use Triple Aura Sphere," Dawn instructed her normal pokemon, Togekiss sent out three balls of aura at the charging Bisharp knocking them out of the battle.

Nurse Joy walked up to the princess with a beautiful ribbon in hand, Salvia looked at the ribbon for a moment while she was being presented with the ribbon, "you're an amazing coordinator," Nurse Joy said with a bright smile, Salvia took the ribbon and looked at it for a moment.

After taking the ribbon the lights of the entire stadium suddenly went out causing the crowd to panic slightly, "What's going…?" Salvia was about to ask before being picked up by someone without knowing, "who are you?" Salvia asked in anger as she was being carried out of the building.

"What, don't you know who this is?" the familiar voice question in response.

Salvia's eyes widened as a chill ran down her back; "let me go Uncle Chris!" Salvia screamed out as her uncle her to the the exit of the building on the roof, Chris pushed open the door bringing in a sudden burst of light, Salvia looked around to see another battle raging, as the battle was reaching it's peak she spotted Ash and Colin battling as a team against Team Rocket, "Ash, help me!" Salvia yelled out before her mouth was covered by Chris, "mmmmmph, Ash!" Saliva tried to call for Ash but was soon stopped by her uncle.

"Enough out of you, men retreat to the secret location, we wait for the next part of our plan," Chris instructed his forces and Team Rocket.

Ash looked over his shoulder and spotted Chris with Salvia in his arms, he tried to run over to their location but was stopped by Seviper, Ash tried to run again but the poison type threatened to use Poison Tail on Ash, Ash gritted his teeth in anger knowing that there was nothing he could do, "Salvia! Salvia!" Ash called for the princess in increasing urgency as he watched Salvia being taken away towards an unknown location, Ash hit the ground and started to punch the roof of the building in anger, "we rescue her now!" Ash told Colin but the royal guard shook his head in disapproval, "what? You're her guard, her friend we need to help her now!" Ash continued to yell as Dawn walked out onto the roof, "Dawn, what were you doing?!" Ash asked in anger.

"Ash, calm down, we can't do anything rash, Chris will be calling his brother out, meaning he intends to use Lady Salvia as scapegoat to force Brian to abdicate the throne," Colin explained the situation to Ash, he walked towards the edge of the roof and looked around the city, "we will rescue her but we need to create a plan, we can't rush this now," Colin told Ash with assurance.

Ash looked at the ground with anger while his partner pokemon stood next to him, "what do we do?" Ash asked with uncertainty.

Colin walked over to Ash and placed his hand on his shoulder, "you have proven worthy of being Lady Salvia's chosen knight, to stand against Chris, you need the power of a legendary pokemon," Chris declared with a smile he got large item from his bag and showed it to Ash, "I was intending on using this to fight against Alex, but you are more worthy of it than me," Colin said as he handed the large white stone to Ash.

"Colin, what in the world is this item?" Ash asked in amazement while feeling the power of the stone coursing through his body.

"No idea Ash, but it supposed to contain the essence of a legendary pokemon with immense power, how to awaken it, it's a mystery to me, there might be one person who knows something about this stone but he disappeared four years ago," Colin said with a frown.

Dawn walked up to Ash quietly and placed her hand on his shoulder, "Ash, I will help with the rescue of Salvia," Dawn promised quietly, "but first we need to head to the Pokemon Center Ash, while there we need to heal our teams, than we can think of of a plan to rescue Salvia," Dawn stated as the trio left area towards the Pokemon Center.

Ash looked back towards the Contest Hall and started to think about what had happened, 'Salvia, I will have you back by my side again, please don't be scared,' Ash thought trying to keep his emotions in check.

* * *

**Episode 15 is down and out, I hope you enjoyed this one, now we get to see what happens next, please tell me what you think of the episode, the ending of this episode was something I was waiting to do for a while.**

**Will Ash rescue Salvia with help from Dawn and Colin? What is so important about the item Ash received? And will Brian fall for the trap?**

**Next time in Episode 16: Nothing Else Matters.**

_Next Episode something big will happen but after the rescue and Dawn will leave the group for a while._


	16. Nothing Else Matters

**Episode 16: Nothing Else Matters.**

_Nothing to give away here, just enjoy the episode and tell me what you think of it._

* * *

It had been a long few hours for Ash, Dawn and Colin, sitting in the Pokemon Center to think about how they were going to save the princess from her uncle, Ash was a little angry at the fact that he couldn't do anything to prevent her from being kidnapped, Ash looked over to his friends and Raichu still feeling a little down about the events that occurred during the Pokemon Contest, 'I wish I was stronger,' Ash thought as regret started to build up.

Dawn looked over to the trainer with concern and placed her hand on his shoulder, "Ash, are you alright?" Dawn asked with a smile.

Ash looked over to the bluenette with a quick smile, "no need to worry," Ash retorted quickly.

Colin looked at Dawn for a moment, "that's when I worry the most," Colin responded to Ash's comment,

Ash just sat there happily as the three started to laugh at each other, the first one to stop laughing was Ash as his thoughts quickly turned to the princess, 'this is just great, I can't stop thinking about her,' Ash thought as he walked away from the table, he walked out of the building and sat down on the ground for a moment, he looked up to the night sky and closed his eyes as the sounds of the song he heard echoed through his mind, 'that song again,' Ash thought quietly.

Ash looked over his shoulders to see Dawn showing Colin the photo album that she was building up, Colin took a look at a few photos and started to laugh, "why does Dawn have do this?" Ash asked himself angrily while watching the bluenette showing the photos to Colin. Ash looked up to the stars and began to smile for a moment, 'I guess, this is what it's like to be in love again,' Ash thought as he placed his hands on the ground, "it's only been two weeks," Ash explained to himself, 'but I am a little scared of telling her, I don't know how I can tell Salvia,' Ash thought while pushing himself up off the ground.

Ash turned around to see Colin and Dawn standing in front of him, "so Ash, were you thinking of the princess again?" Dawn enquired with a cheeky smile.

Ash looked at Dawn and frowned at her before looking away, "no I wasn't Dawn," Ash hesitated slightly, Ash turned around to try and hide his blushing from Dawn and Colin, "so do we have a plan to rescue Salvia?" Ash asked while trying to regain his composure.

Colin pulled out his Chatot to try and find out where the princess was taken, "Chatot, find out where Lady Salvia is, they wouldn't have left the City yet," Colin ordered the musical note pokemon with certainty, "alright you two we need to get some rest, I will wait for the return of my partner," Colin said as the two friends walked back into the Pokemon Center.

Ash looked at Dawn without her noticing and started to think about how much Dawn and Salvia were alike, "uncanny," Ash sighed before looking away.

Dawn quickly turned her eyes to Ash and smiled at him, "what was that Ash?" Dawn asked with a smile, "what's uncanny?" Dawn asked her friend. Ash ignored the question and walked further on leaving Dawn standing in the middle of the Pokemon Center on her own, "Ash, you need to open up about this, only hiding it will only hurt you more," Dawn explained with conviction as she watched Ash walk into the hallway, 'what am I saying? I still haven't gotten over you Ash, but I also understand that you might have feelings for Salvia,' Dawn thought as she looked away towards Colin sitting outside the Pokemon Center to wait for his friends return, "even he knows that Ash and Salvia like each other, there is no doubt he is going to push for them to be together, I know one this I will make sure it happens to," Dawn declared with laughter.

Dawn started to walk back to her room when she spotted the video phones, she changed direction and called her mother to see how she was going, "hello Dawn, how are things going?" Johanna asked her daughter with a proud smile.

"Nothing much mother, I was just ringing to see how you were going," Dawn retorted happily.

Johanna let out a quick sigh as she closed her eyes, "now Dawn I am your mother so I should know when something is wrong," Johanna stated with a frown while she was petting her Glameow, "I can tell you're worried about something," Johanna said with a smile.

Dawn started to explain things to her mother, Johanna nodded while she was listening to her daughters words, "so you see mom, my journey has been going pretty well," Dawn said with a grin, "I have already won two ribbons but my friend is catching up to me very quickly," Dawn proudly while she watched her mother petting their pet pokemon.

"And you still have feelings for Ash?" Johanna said while laughing at her daughter.

Dawn nodded knowing that she couldn't hide the truth from her mother, "but mom, Ash has feelings for Salvia and the same goes for Salvia, but they won't admit to it," Dawn explained with a frown.

"Salvia, where have I heard that name before?" Johanna asked while placing her hand on her chin, "oh yeah that's right, Salvia is the crown princess of the Sinnoh region and was kidnapped by a trainer about two and a half weeks ago," Johanna said with a smile.

"No Mom, Salvia wasn't kidnapped, she followed Ash on his journey for the Master's Challenge," Dawn explained.

"Dawn, I have to talk to you later, it is starting to get a little late and I need my sleep," Johanna said before saying good night to her daughter, the two closed off the call.

Dawn turned around to see Colin standing in the middle of the medical facility, "Dawn, Chatot has discovered the location of Salvia," Colin declared with a smile, suddenly Ash ran through the Pokemon Center to find the princess, 'Ash, wait we cannot rush into this," Colin said but it was too late Ash was no longer in the Pokemon Center, "does he always act before thinking?" Colin asked Dawn while shrugging his shoulders.

"Sorry Colin, Ash has always been like that," Dawn said with amusement, 'most likely one of the reasons why I haven't gotten over him yet,' Dawn thought before following the trainer out of the medical facility, "come on Colin, we can't let Ash have all the fun," Dawn stated cheerfully as she left Colin standing in the Pokemon Center with a perplexed look on his face.

Colin moved out of the medical facility still amazed at what had just happened, "seems not only lady Salvia and Lady Dawn are alike, it also seems like Lady Dawn and Sir Ash are a lot alike," Colin told his fateful partner before following them towards the location of the princess, "too bad I didn't give them the location, but I sense a powerful ability coming from Ash, he reminds me of Sir Aaron in the stories my mother used to tell me," Colin told himself before following the two friends to rescue the princess.

After running through the city Ash made it to a large building, "so Chris this is where you're hiding," Ash said before walking up to the door. Ash walked up to the door only to find not only Jessie, James and Meowth standing at the door but five other members of Team Rocket standing there guarding the entrance, "Team Rocket, get out of my way, a friend needs me," Ash told the rockets but they pulled out their pokeballs and got ready to battle the trainer.

Meanwhile inside the building Chris looked out of his window, "seems like Team Rocket and that trainer are battling," Chris pointed out while walking over to his niece, he pulled down the gag to allow her to talk, "you know let's have a chat before we depart to Sinnoh," Chris decreed with a smirk.

Salvia looked away in anger trying to ignore the sounds of the battle outside, "I have nothing to say to you Uncle Chris," Salvia declared while her trying to free her hands, "my dad and my knight will rescue me," Salvia explained as she continued to move her hands.

Chris burst out into laughter, "sure, young royals do dream a lot," Chris said as he walked around the room, "the battle outside, my sources tell me only one person is battling against I think eight people," Chris explained while laughing at the bluenette, "he is using a Gabite and a Lucario, I don't know how he fond us but I will make sure to take care of him," Chris stated while sitting at a desk preparing for his chance to battle, "Alex, destroy him," Chris ordered calmly.

Salvia turned her gaze to her uncle quickly as panic started to appear in her eyes, "no uncle don't do it please, I will talk to him," Salvia cried out but he wasn't listening, the personal trainer of Chris walked out of the room to battle the trainer, 'Ash, please be safe,' Salvia thought as tears started to roll down her cheeks.

Chris walked over to his niece and placed his hand on her cheek, "tears don't suit you princess, how about when Alex defeats your knight you can talk to him while he is unconscious," Chris said with a crazed laugh.

Salvia looked up as she started to cry even more, "please don't hurt Ash, I will head back to Sinnoh, just don't hurt him," Salvia cried even more but Chris was showing no interest.

"So Ash is his name, I swear I have heard that name before," Chris said while placing his fingers on his chin, he walked around the room as the explosions of the battle continued to light up the area, "oh that's right, he is a powerful trainer that participated in the pokemon leagues of the different regions, I used to watch his battles on TV," Chris explained with a smirk, "you can say I am a big."

"So you will spare him?" Salvia asked as she tried to regain her composure.

Chris turned around and grinned at the young royal, "no," Chris retorted, "he is a threat and he must be taken care of."

Salvia sat there feeling numb from the words of her uncle, she couldn't believe that her uncle was going to hurt Ash, she tried frantically to undo her restraints but there was no success, she looked up to see the explosions of the battle rattling the building, 'no, Ash I don't know what to do,' Salvia thought as she gave up removing the rope from her wrists

"Electivire, attack Brick Break," Alex called for his attack.

The large yellow pokemon charged towards Ash's two pokemon with overwhelming force, "Gabite, attack with Dragon Claw," Ash commanded with certainty, the two pokemon charged at one another with great intent colliding with devastating force, Gabite flew back from the power of the attack, "Gabite no," Ash called out in urgency.

"Give it up young man," Alex commanded with a smile.

Ash looked up and thought about how powerful this guy was, 'he defeated Dawn in attack, I have to win,' Ash thought while trying to keep himself calm, "no I will not give up, I will rescue the princess and we will continue our journey no matter what!" Ash yelled out in rage, Gabite charged towards the battle but this time he started to glow, he grew larger and more menacing, "Garchomp, use Earthquake," Ash instructed the powerful new pokemon.

The ground shuddered beneath the might of the dragon type, hurting his opponents electric type pokemon, "his Gabite evolved, he defeated my Electivire, men attack," Alex said while calling for reinforcements.

More men appeared from the building preventing Ash from getting any closer to saving the princess, he looked around in frustration while being surrounded by the men of Team Rocket and Chris's person army, "how many of you losers are there?" Ash asked in frustration, he looked around and got ready to call out the rest of his pokemon, "Garchomp and Lucario are too exhausted to continue with the battle," Ash told himself as he looked over to his pokemon with great concern.

"Well then, if you worry too much then we can help you," a familiar voice said, Ash turned around to see Dawn and Colin approaching his location, "you're too reckless Ash, next time wait for use, Mamoswine attack with Ice Fang," Dawn instructed her powerful pokemon with confidence, a large brown pokemon charged through the opposing pokemon allowing for Ash to have some respite. Dawn and Colin jumped off the large pokemon and landed next to the tiring trainer, "so how are things going for you Ash?" Dawn asked while her ice type began to get ready to charge into battle, "I have some payback to hand out," Dawn explained while looking over at Alex.

Colin and Ash looked on as Dawn continued to glare at the chosen opponent, "so you think you can beat me in battle, do you remember what happened nearly twelve hours ago?" Alex asked the coordinator, "fine if you want to be embarrassed then I will not stop you," Alex said while laughing at the bluenette.

Dawn smirked at the tough opponent then looked at Ash and Colin, she nodded with a smile, "go, I will hold these monsters back, save Salvia," Dawn instructed her friends calmly before turning her gaze back to the battle at hand, "now where was I?" Dawn asked while smiling at her opponents, "oh right beating you in a battle," Dawn answered calmly while her Mamoswine continued to get ready to battle.

Ash and Colin ran into the building while being chased by members of Team Rocket, Ash looked back to see Dawn holding off Alex, "Ash, focus we can't be worrying about Dawn, she will be fine, we need to get to whatever floor Lady Salvia is on," Colin told Ash while being chased by Team Rocket, "Ash, answer me this, how did you know where to go?" Colin asked Ash while they were still running through the hallway ignoring the scenery.

"She is on the seventh floor," Ash replied while ignoring his allies question, "we can't use the elevators they will be expecting that," Ash said while they started climbing up the stairs of the building, "Raichu, attack with Thunderbolt!" Ash yelled out to his electric mouse pokemon with conviction.

"Ash, I need to know, how do you know where to go?" Colin persisted with his question.

Ash stopped for a moment and looked to the ground, "I can sense aura, I am fully attuned to where the princess is," Ash explained while looking down the steps, "also she is being moved up to the top floor," Ash said with a frown.

Colin looked at Ash with a smile and started to push Ash up the steps, "then we need to hurry, if we are going to save the princess, Chatot keep an eye on Dawn for me," Colin instructed the musical note pokemon, Colin and Ash watched as the pokemon flew towards the exit of the building before restarting the chase for Salvia, "alright we don't have enough time, if what say is true then we need to get to the roof of the building," Colin told Ash with confidence.

Ash nodded and started running up the stairwell, "right, she calls me her knight, so I need to act like it," Ash said while tirelessly running towards the top of the building.

Chris was pushing Salvia to the roof exit of the building, "you know what my true intentions are?" Chris asked his niece. Salvia looked away without any interest in Chris's plans, "I intend to start a war between the regions," Chris told Salvia his plans, "I want to unite all regions under my rule," he explained with a confident smirk.

Salvia looked to the sky with a grimace as the revelation started to come to light, "I want to unite all regions as friends, not as enemies!" Salvia yelled out but was pushed to the ground, "what would you achieve from the war you want?" Salvia asked as a Helicopter was appearing over the horizon, "how will you start this war?" Salvia asked with anger.

Chris approached the princess with a dark smile on his face, "I intend to assassinate the prince of Hoenn," Chris pointed out with a proud look on his face, "the prince you're supposed to marry when he turns eighteen, which I believe is three months after you turn nineteen," Chris said calmly much to the shock of Salvia.

Salvia looked away with astonishment, 'I never knew this, was my dad hiding something from me?' Salvia questioned in thought, "Uncle Chris how do you know this stuff?" Salvia asked with vigor.

"Who me? Well why not ask your mother? She does have ties with Unova and Hoenn since that's where her descendants come from, meaning you have descendants from three different regions," Chris told his niece while laughing at her, "as for your dad and me, we are of pure Sinnoh blood," Chris told Salvia with a smile while waiting for the helicopter to appear.

As Chris was waiting for the plane to arrive, a sudden push opened up the door revealing Ash and Colin, "Chris, stop right there," Colin ordered with strength, "you are to face the courts of the Sinnoh Kingdom," Colin said as Suicune appeared between his and Colin, "Ash protect Salvia, I will deal with Suicune," Colin stated while preparing to call out his pokemon for the battle.

"So Colin how did you know I was here, let me guess you used that pitiful Chatot of yours?" Chris enquired with a smile, "matters not, Suicune attack with Hydro Pump," Chris called out for the first attack of the battle.

"I think not, Venusaur, attack with Razor Leaf," he called for the counter attack.

Ash ran up to the captive princess and started to undo her bounds, "Ash, you made it here," Salvia said while looking away, the attack collided while Ash was trying to help Salvia out, he picked her up and took her to a safe place where he can undo the ropes, "Ash, I am sorry, I have been hiding something from you," Salvia said while starting to cry.

Ash placed his finger on her lips, "I have been hiding some stuff from you as well," Ash confessed with a smile as the ropes started to loosen, "how about we tell each other, when we have the time," Ash said calmly.

Ash finally finished undoing the ropes holding Salvia back, "thank you Ash for saving me," Salvia gratefully told Ash, "but we need to stop my uncle, he plans to start a war between the regions," Salvia said with sadness.

Ash turned around and watched as the large blue plant type pokemon was falling back from the legendary pokemon, "you know Colin, this legendary pokemon was once the symbol of the Johto Kingdom," Chris told Colin with confidence, "finish it with Ice Beam," Chris instructed the aurora pokemon with conviction.

Ash watched as the frigid beam got closer to the exhausted plant type pokemon, "Raichu, stop the attack with Volt Tackle," Ash commanded with anger, the electric mouse charged with a thunderous aura before colliding with icy attack, Raichu pushed through the powerful attack before clashing with Suicune barely pushing it back.

Ash and Salvia watched as Raichu landed in front of them with red sparks flying from his body, "Ash, I will help you out, Raichu lets go," Salvia called out her pokemon. The two Raichus stood there with sparks flying from their cheeks, "Raichu, attack with Thunderbolt," Salvia instructed her electric type pokemon.

"Raichu attack with Thunderbolt," Ash ordered, the two electric mouse pokemon charged up their electric attack before unleashing a mighty burst of electricity, the two attacks smashed into Suicune dealing immense damage to the pokemon.

"You two will pay for that, Suicune use Sheer Cold," Chris declare as he instructed the aurora pokemon the attack the two Raichus, a powerful burst of ice was fired from Suicune's mouth with Salvia's Raichu as the target, as the burst of energy was nearing the target Ash's Raichu pushed his partner in battle out of the way while taking the hit for her, "one puny rodent out of the way," Chris decreed with a proud smile on his face, "Sheer Cold once more," Chris called out for the next attack.

Ash picked up his electric pokemon and placed it behind him, he pulled out one of his pokeballs and got ready to protect Salvia's Raichu, "Serperior, I choose you," Ash called out another of his pokemon, "use Leaf Storm to protect the princess's Raichu," Ash told the grass type pokemon with confidence, a storm of leaves built up around the serpent like pokemon and sent it towards the icy attack as a barrier, eventually the attacks collided preventing one another from going any further.

"Well I guess my plans here have failed, but that doesn't mean my ultimate plan will fail," Chris proclaimed as his helicopter landed next to him, he climbed aboard the vessel and laughed at his enemies, "Alex, time to pull back!" Chris called to his friend as the helicopter took off from the battle, "I will see you three again, sooner than you think," Chris told the trio with certainty while recalling his legendary pokemon from the battle.

Ash, Colin and Salvia watched as the Helicopter flying off into the distance, "time to get out of here," Colin said with a smile.

"Right, Salamence help us out," Ash called out a large blue pokemon with red wings, Ash and Salvia climbed on with Colin soon afterwards, "bring us back down to earth," Ash instructed his pokemon, Salvia held on to Ash she turned her head and watched the sun rise, "I am glad to see that you're safe Salvia, wouldn't be much of a knight if something were to happen to you," Ash explained with a relieved smile.

"Thank you Ash, one day I will be the one who has the strength to save you," Salvia said gratefully while watching the sun rising over the horizon, 'one day I will return the favor,' Salvia thought while Colin was watching the princess holding onto Ash.

Colin watched Salvia embrace Ash and smiled at her, 'well I guess she has to break traditions, even ones set two hundred years ago,' Colin thought to himself, "after we land and heal our pokemon, I will need to talk to Lady Salvia in private," Colin stated as the slow flight continued.

The large dragon landed next to Dawn allowing the exhausted combatants to climb off the dragon, Dawn smiled at the trio and raised her fist in the air, "Alex didn't hold back, but I still won the battle," Dawn explained with a proud look on her face, "it was a difficult battle, but I still won, my pokemon need some rest before I go to Fuchsia City," Dawn said with a smile while picking up her Piplup.

The four friends walked to the Pokemon Center triumphantly and healed their pokemon, Ash and Dawn got breakfast for the group of four but discovered that Salvia and Colin were not in the building, "well, I guess they needed to have that chat," Ash told Dawn while sitting down to have his breakfast.

Dawn watched Ash starting to eat his breakfast, "Ash, when are you going to tell Salvia you love her?" Dawn asked blatantly causing Ash to start choking on his food, "come on Ash, you did everything in your power to save her," Dawn explained while Ash grabbed a glass filled with orange juice.

Ash drank the liquid and looked over to his smiling friend, "what are you talking about Dawn, there is no way I can do that, she is friend," Ash said after placing the cup back on the table.

After finishing breakfast Ash and Dawn walked outside to wait for the princess to come back from her talk with Colin, "Ash, there will come a time when you have to tell Salvia how you feel," Dawn pointed out with certainty.

While Dawn was talking to Ash at the front of the medical facility Salvia and Colin were talking near the end of the street, "Salvia, I know you're in love with Ash, but sadly there is a tradition in the royal families of the world," Colin said with sorrow, "the king told me to keep this quiet from you, but you have to marry the….." Colin started with uncertainty.

Salvia looked at the ground with sadness, "the prince of Hoenn," Salvia finished as tears started to flow from her eyes, "Uncle Chris told me everything, but I don't want to follow through with the arrangement," Salvia said while rubbing away the tears and looking at her friend in defiance, "why would I want to be with a complete stranger?" Salvia asked her friend while she was trying to keep her emotions in check, "I refuse to follow such a tradition, I will be with the one I choose," Salvia said in defiance, "even if I choose that man to be Ash," Salvia expressed her choice to Colin.

"Even if it were to start a war?" Colin asked with a frown, "you must remember, you are an only child, your father is extremely worried for you, he is searching constantly for you," Colin pointed out the situation that his friend was in, "he is very upset even to the point of breaking down," Colin stated as Salvia looked on in shock, "alright I will go, don't worry he will not know of our meeting," Colin said as he called out his Rapidash.

Salvia waved with a smile, "alright I will tell Ash how I feel as soon as I make it to the Pokemon Center," the princess decreed with a smile. The two friends went their separate ways, Salvia walked back to the Pokemon Center happily, she spotted Ash and Dawn outside the medical facility talking while Ash had a serious look on his face.

Dawn was about to walk away as Salvia continued to approach them without them noticing, "I love you," Dawn said causing Salvia to freeze on the spot, Dawn left still not noticing Salvia standing there.

Salvia drowned out the rest of the noises of the city and even the rest of the Dawn's words, she stepped back as she started to cry, Ash turned around and spotted Salvia. 'What was I thinking? How can Ash be in love with me?' Salvia questioned as she ran off into another direction while Ash called out to her in great urgency, "leave me alone Ash, go be with Dawn," Salvia cried out as she ran away from Ash.

* * *

**Alright the end of the episode with a few massive moments in this one. **

**Next episode will be one where Ash and Salvia learn more about each other, but first Ash needs to catch up to Salvia.**

**Next time Episode 17: From the Past to the future**


	17. From the Past to the Future

**Episode 17: From the past to the future.**

_Alright the end of the last episode was a little awkward that I admit, but it shall be revealed what actually happened before Salvia heard the words from Dawn._

* * *

Ash watched as Dawn left before turning around to see another blunette running in a different direction, Ash started chasing Salvia through the streets of Celadon City, while he was holding onto his friends pokemon, "Salvia, wait up please!" Ash called to the princess but the pleas of Ash were placed on deaf ears, Salvia continued to run ignoring Ash who was still running after her, "Salvia, please come back," Ash requested in concern but Salvia wasn't listening.

Salvia didn't stop running until she collapsed from the exhaustion of running out of the city, she started crying from what she had heard with Dawn's confession ringing in her ears, "what was I thinking?" Salvia asked herself repeatedly while looking back to see that Ash was nowhere in sight, "what was I expecting? Ash and Dawn are close friends after all," Salvia reminded herself constantly.

"Salvia, where are you, please I don't want you to be lost," the trainer yelled out in concern, Ash looked around to try and find the princess but wasn't having any luck, he was about to give up and send a few of his pokemon to help with the search, while picking up a couple of his pokeballs, he started hearing the cries of Salvia, he looked around in the area until he spotted the princess, "Salvia, are you alright?" Ash asked as he approached the young royal, "you forgot your pokemon," Ash said while showing Salvia's pokeballs.

"Ash, I have hidden some stuff from you, so I need to tell you what you need to know," Salvia said with a frown while trying to hold back her tears, Salvia picked herself up but collapsed from exhaustion again, this time she fell into Ash's arms, "Ash, wouldn't Dawn be angry at you for this?" Salvia asked while Ash embraced her.

"What? You heard what Dawn said?" Ash replied with his own question, Salvia nodded while still crying, "no, Dawn was just giving me a lecture," Ash explained with a nervous smile, Salvia looked up and gazed into Ash's brown eyes, "she asked me when am I going to tell the most important person in my life how I feel about her?" Ash recited his friends words, "you must have arrived just as Dawn finished telling me what I needed to do," Ash stated with a nervous smile.

Salvia started to feel relieved from what Ash was telling her, 'Dawn never said she loved Ash, so does that mean the most important person? Could that person be? No there is no way,' Salvia questioned while thinking about what she promised herself, "Ash, who is the most important person to you?" Salvia asked while looking up at Ash, while her face started to heat up from her own question.

Ash looked down to see the young royal smiling at him, "that's much better, I don't want to see you crying, I want to see you smile it helps your eyes sparkle," Ash said with a grin while placing his hand on Salvia's face, he brushed the remaining tears away and looked into the princess's eyes much to the delight of the royal, "everyone is important to me, but there is one particular person who I'm really fond of, but I am too nervous to tell her," Ash said while gulping while his hands were shaking.

'Could that person be me?' Salvia asked herself while placing her arms around Ash, 'I never thought he would be comforting me,' Salvia thought as she closed her eyes, while her eyes were closed she pictured Ash dancing with her at a ball smiling at one another, "Ash, how about I tell you about my family and our traditions," Salvia said while letting go of Ash.

The duo left the city with the situation behind them, "Salvia, there was a reason why I was able to find you so easily," Ash explained quietly.

Salvia stared at Ash and tilted her head, "I was wondering how you found me so easily," Salvia wondered as she found a field to sit, "please Ash sit down I want to know more about you," Salvia requested while patting the ground next to her.

Ash sat down while Salvia moved next to the trainer, "Salvia, I can sense aura, I was able to find you because I was able to sense where you were," Ash explained nervously, the princess smiled at the trainer and then closed her eyes, "One of the reasons why I use Lucario all the time, just like Raichu, I rely on the power of Lucario much like Sir Aaron from the legends," Ash explained with a smile. "if you ever get lost, I will find you princess," Ash said while turning his gaze to the princess.

"Ash, I told you not to call me by my title," Salvia said before pushing Ash to the ground, she rested next to Ash and looked up to see the white clouds dotting the sky, "Ash, you told me something about you," Salvia chimed in playfully, "also I am sorry for jumping to conclusions about your conversation with Dawn," Salvia said apologetically, while placing her around Ash, she picked herself up and looked into Ash's eyes, "now I will tell you something about me, even something I didn't know," Salvia declared with a frown.

"So Salvia is it about teaching me mathematics and writing?" Ash asked with a cheeky grin, "or is it that you want to go home?" Ash asked in a joking manner.

Salvia pushed Ash playfully while laughing at him, "shut up Ash, I want to travel with you, and I will start teaching you maths and writing very soon, I got books that you need to start reading," she said while opening her bag, Ash looked away in disappointment as Salvia pulled out a few books from her bag, "I was about to tell my knight one of my better secrets, something he would like the sound of," Salvia said happily while looking away for a moment.

Ash looked up and saw the princess resting on him, he placed his hand in her long blue hair and start to stroke it gently, "you have something to tell me, bring it on," Ash said while challenging Salvia to tell him.

Salvia gulped for a moment and avoided eye contact with Ash, 'now is the time I have the chance to tell Ash I love him,' Salvia thought while opening her eyes, "Ash, I know we have been traveling for a couple of weeks but, I-I….I um," Salvia started as her nerves started to build up.

Ash tried to listen to the princess who was trying to string together the sentence but was feeling nervous, "think about what you want to say, then say it without hesitation," Ash said with a smile, 'what the heck am I saying, I want to tell Salvia how much I love her but the words never leave my lips,' Ash thought while listening the princess continue with trying to bring together the sentence.

Salvia stopped midway through the sentence but the words never seemed to come into reality, 'I can't tell him, as much as I want to, I am just not able to tell Ash,' Salvia thought as tears started to well up on her, "Ash, my family has a tradition, we must marry members of other royal families to maintain peace between the other kingdoms," Salvia pointed out before sitting up wrapping her arms around her legs, "but in truth I don't want to be with a prince that I don't know," Salvia cried as she buried her head into her arms.

Ash sat up and put his hand on the princess's shoulder, "have you ever told your father how you felt?" Ash asked while comforting the princess again, "just tell him no, you don't want to be with some stranger from another kingdom," Ash instructed the princess calmly.

"Not that easy Ash, my dad kept me in the kingdom to prevent me from getting into danger," Salvia explained with her fists clenched, "I don't want to be with someone else, I want to be with you Ash," Salvia said with sadness as she cried again, "I don't care about my father's traditions, I want to follow what's in my heart, my heart tells me that you're the most important person in my life," Salvia said while Ash was listening with intent, he closed his eyes while Salvia was trying to muster the courage to tell Ash her feelings, "Ash, I love you," Salvia courageously professed her feelings for Ash.

The trainer quickly opened his eyes in astonishment from Salvia's confession, "Salvia, I don't know what to say," Ash said while his heart was pounding like crazy, "I love you too Salvia," Ash whispered into Salvia's ears. While Ash was picking himself the young royal jumped into Ash's arms again and hugged him as tightly as she could muster, "Salvia, I promise that I will protect you from your uncle and Team Rocket," Ash said strongly while returning the embrace.

"But Ash you know my father wouldn't approve, he is so hyped up on tradition," Salvia pointed out in sadness, "I just recently learnt from Colin that my dad kept everything about the plans he set up a secret from me, even my uncle told me," Salvia explained while pushing herself back, "the thing is we aren't meant to be together," Salvia said as her sorrow started to return, "maybe it would be best if you be with Dawn," Salvia decreed in submission.

Ash shook his head and took Salvia's hand, "giving up already, you need to learn to stand for yourself, how about holding off on the contests for a while, I will train you and your pokemon to become stronger then you are right now," Ash said with a smile.

"But Ash, what if we start a war? A war between the regions of the pokemon world?" Salvia enquired as she moved her hand from Ash's, she started to cry again at the prospect of losing her loved ones.

"I will stop that from happening, there is no way I will let the future be that gloomy," Ash promised while rubbing away Salvia's tears again, Salvia looked up while trying to smile again, "I will show you the wonders of the world," Ash promised smiling at the princess, he walked away from the field leaving Salvia to think about what Ash was proposing, Ash extended his hand out and smiled at Salvia, "well what are we waiting for? You want face the challenges of the world this time holding my hand? Or will you face it with regret?" Ash asked with certainty.

Salvia stood up with her eyes closed again, 'there will be many challenges to our love,' Salvia thought as she looked up to Ash, "there will be many challenges to our love, but I will, I mean we will face it together," Salvia said with pride as she took ahold of Ash's hand, "I will put on hold the contests to become stronger, to not only face my uncle, Team Rocket, but to stand up for what I believe in," Salvia resolved with determination.

Ash stared at the princess face now filled with resolve, "you know that no contest thing was a joke right?" Ash asked with a grin.

Salvia turned her gaze to Ash and smiled, "I know you have a bad sense of humor Ash," Salvia said with laughter, "but if I want to prevent my uncle from getting his way I need to stop the contests for a while," Salvia pointed out with a frown. "My dad also has to learn that I will make my own choices, I will tell Colin not to keep my locations a secret from now on, I want my dad to see me grow as a person, not kept in the dark about it," Salvia said while pressing her X-transceiver to call her friend, "Ash, can I have a little time alone?" Salvia asked Ash with a confident grin.

"Lady Salvia, what's going on?" Colin asked after picking up the call.

"Colin, I wanted to wait before I told Ash how I felt about him, but it was too much for me to hold in, so I confessed my love to him moments ago," Salvia told her friend much to his delight.

Colin grinned proudly as she looked around the area to make sure that Salvia's father wasn't around, "well done, about time too, it was two weeks," Colin stated with a proud look on his face, "I better make sure the king isn't around, he would make sure that he finds you and takes you home in an instant," Colin stated with a frown while making sure that King Brian wasn't intruding in on the call.

Salvia sighed a little before looking up to see Ash keeping an eye out for trouble, "that's the other reason why I called, please tell me dad that I am learning a lot, not only from Ash, but from experience as well, also tell him I will make the choice on who I will be with and it isn't some stranger from another region," Salvia said with determination, "in fact when my dad and I meet I will tell him myself," Salvia declared , "I want to show my dad how much I have grown through my journeys with Ash," Salvia stated as she got ready to end the call.

"Are you sure about the Lady Salvia?" Colin asked with uncertainty, Salvia nodded in approval, "very well, but you will be chased more often, not only by your uncle, but from your dad as well, please be careful," Colin requested with concern as he ended the call.

Salvia turned her gaze to Ash and happily ran up to the trainer, 'thank you for everything Colin, but I must prove to my dad that I am capable of doing things on my own,' Salvia thought with certainty, 'Ash, thank you, but I will make sure I don't rely on you for everything, I have to stand on my own two feet as well,' Salvia thought while walking up ahead, "hurry up Ash, I want to see you win the next pin," Salvia said cheerfully while running through the fields.

Ash looked down to see his partner pokemon, he shrugged his shoulders, "great now I will be chasing after her again, this time she is happy," Ash said while starting the chase for the princess, "Salvia wait for me!" Ash called out for the princess as he continued to chase after her, 'I prefer her this way, at least it isn't her with a frown, at least she isn't crying like a little while ago,' Ash thought to himself as he ran through the fields chasing the princess.

Salvia stopped near the end of the fields to allow for the wind to pass her, she looked over to Ash with a smile, "Ash, you're no longer my knight," Salvia said with a smirk.

Ash looked down at the grassy fields with sorrow, Salvia walked up to the trainer and placed her hand on his chin, she lifted it up and looked into his eyes, "I knew it I am fired aren't I?" Ash asked with a frown.

Salvia laughed it off and moved closer to Ash, "you're not fired, you can't be my knight," Salvia said with a smile, "because now you're my prince," Salvia declared while inching closer to Ash, "I no longer care what my dad chooses, because he doesn't have a say in my future," Salvia declared as her confidence grew.

"So if I can't be your knight then who will protect you I wonder?" Ash asked with a cheeky grin, but as he was about to retort to his own question Salvia pressed her lips onto his. 'What are you doing Salvia,' Ash thought while trying to pull away from the kiss.

Salvia closed her eyes and picture Ash dancing with her this time in more formal attire, 'this is amazing, I don't want this to end,' Salvia thought.

Ash waited for a moment as the fireworks started to go off inside him, he returned the kiss all the while embracing the princess, 'is this for real?' Ash asked himself as he closed his eyes.

Ash and Salvia pulled back to get the air that they needed, Salvia smiled at Ash before turning around to look at the view of the surrounding field, "Ash, I want to have a break here," Salvia said while placing her bag on the ground, Ash looked around to think about what was about to happen, "come on Ash sit down," Salvia demanded while grabbing Ash's hand, she pulled him down almost ripping his arm away.

"Geez Salvia, you almost ripped my arm off," Ash said with a smile before sitting down next to the princess, Ash looked away for a moment trying to avoid eye contact with the royal, "Salvia, are you sure that you want to sacrifice your contests?" Ash asked with a frown.

Salvia stared at Ash as he asked the question, "Ash people were almost hurt because of my uncle, it would be for the best if I don't compete for a while," Salvia said happily. The princess opened her bag and pulled out a small container, "Ash, I made this for you," Salvia professed while handing the container to Ash.

Ash took the container from Salvia and proceeded to open it, Ash peered inside after opening the container, "Salvia where did you get these from?" Ash asked the princess with a surprised look on his face, as he looked back at the small sweets inside the container.

Salvia pulled out one of the, "I made them before the contest in Celadon, I wanted to give them to you as a thanks for traveling with me," Salvia said while grinning at the sweets inside the container, Salvia placed her hand inside and took one of the sweets, "Ash, please have a try," Salvia said while placing the sweet in front of Ash.

Ash looked uncertain since he wasn't given this sort of treatment before, "this hasn't before," Ash said with an embarrassed laugh.

Salvia smiled at Ash and pushed the sweet closer, "I hope you don't bite Ash," Salvia said with slight sarcasm, "take it, it took me all night to make these sweets especially for you, I want you to try them, I have never baked before," Salvia said with a nervous look on her face.

Ash looked at the sweet in front of him, Ash opened his mouth allowing Salvia to proceed nervously, after placing the sweet in Ash's mouth Salvia pulled back quickly hoping not to get bitten by Ash, Ash chewed it for a moment while Salvia watched in hope, Ash swallowed the bit of food and then turned his sight to the awaiting royal, "you said you never baked before, how can that be, that was amazing," Ash said with a smile causing Salvia to breathe a sigh of relief.

Salvia fell to the ground and looked up to the sky yet again, "you know why my dad is so over protective of me Ash?" Salvia asked the trainer still eating all the sweets in the container.

Ash looked down at Salvia, "yeah want to know why my princess," Ash retorted calmly as he picked up another sweet, "here have on, you have the right, you made them," Ash said while handing a few of the delights to the royal.

Salvia sat up and took the baked goods from Ash, "Calling by my title again," Salvia moaned in displeasure, "I am to sole heir to the throne, meaning that I am an only child," Salvia explained to Ash while placing the sweet in her mouth, "the last two weeks have the best two weeks ever, I have enjoyed the adventure, but the danger part is a little scary," Salvia said with a smile.

Ash placed his hands on the ground and looked up, "you know danger is all a part of adventure, there are pitfalls, aggressive pokemon and downright nasty people," Ash stated with pride, "but the dangers make having friends much more memorable since we faced it together," Ash explained as he turned his gaze to the young royal, "so what has been the most memorable time in the last two weeks?" Ash asked Salvia quietly.

"Beating you in battle Ash," Salvia laughed as memories of the battle against Ash's then Pikachu flooded back to Ash, "I laughed so much I started to cramp up, you were a higher level than me, but you were so graceful in defeat," Salvia described the situation blissfully.

Ash just sat there with a blank expression on his face, "Salvia, to be honest the memory of that battle is a little embarrassing for me to keep in my memories, even Raichu is too embarrassed to tell me about it," Ash laughed slightly while scratching the back of his head. "We can get to Lavander Town by nightfall," Ash said while changing the subject much to the dismay of Salvia.

"Ash, I challenge you to a one on one battle," Salvia told Ash while she stood up and holding one of her pokeballs, "please, Ash I need to know how much stronger I have gotten," Salvia pleaded to the trainer.

Ash stood up and grabbed one of his pokeballs, "okay, we will battle, go Raichu," Ash called for his partner pokemon into battle.

"Raichu, it's time to shine," Salvia called out her electric mouse pokemon, Salvia's Raichu stood there amazed that it was going to battle Ash's Raichu, it walked up to the Raichu and hugged him, "Ash, what's going on?" Salvia asked in shock.

Ash closed his eyes for a moment and thought back to the battle against Suicune, "I think I know what's going on here," Ash retorted as the princess listened in with intent, "my Raichu took a Sheer Cold in place of your Raichu," Ash told the princess with coolness, "by the way your Raichu is acting, it would be a female," Ash said with certainty before bursting out into laughter as he witnessed Salvia's Raichu grabbing on to Ash's electric pokemon by the paw, "saving your Raichu in that battle has caused her to fall in love with my Raichu," Ash stated with a nod, 'great Buneary will be shattered,' Ash thought with a cheeky grin on his face.

Salvia watched as Ash's Raichu tried to push away the advancing female Raichu, Salvia looked up to see Ash laughing at the situation, "Ash, another memory for me to share with you," Salvia said while laughing at the two electric pokemon, "I think we better choose a different pokemon since those two are a little preoccupied," Salvia pointed out as she picked another of her pokeballs, "go, Vulpix, it's time to shine" Salvia called for her six tailed fox like pokemon.

"Serperior, I choose you," the trainer called out his grass type pokemon, Ash put his hand in his pocket and pulled out a bright yellow stone with a fire emblem, "catch," Ash instructed as he tossed the stone at Salvia.

Salvia caught the stone and looked at it for a moment, "what is this?" Salvia asked while looking at the stone with perplexed look on her face.

"That Salvia, is a fire stone, perfect for evolving either your Eevee into a Flareon, or evolving Vulpix into Ninetails," Ash explained while the two pokemon looked at each other ready to battle, "I got that while I was preparing for the Contest a yesterday," Ash stated while waiting for Salvia to make the first move in the battle, "oh and during this battle I will only use one fifth of my true level," Ash explained while looking at his opponents.

Salvia shook her head and smiled at the trainer, "I want you to battle me at your best," Salvia retorted calmly.

"No, thrashing your pokemon in battle will not help their confidence, nor will it raise your level of experience, when Clefairy beat Pikachu in battle it was just a fluke and we both know that," Ash said with a smile while the princess looked down at the ground in submission, "we can build on your pokemon's levels by increasing the training level as we continue on our travels, plus I also have a few pokemon that I want to train," Ash pointed out confidently.

"I see your point Ash, but why not go at fifty percent?" Salvia enquired quietly.

"The pokemon you have are still low level, you need to get them to become stronger, at this stage I barely stand a chance against your uncle and even your dad," Ash said while closing his eyes, "you see I have something I need to prove to your dad as well," Ash said calmly, "to prove that he can count on me to look after you," Ash declared coolly.

"What are we waiting for? Vulpix attack with Flamethrower," Salvia called out for the first attack of the battle.

As the burst of flames headed to the serpent like pokemon Ash calmly waited for the attack to get closer, "Serperior, jump up and use Vine Whip," Ash instructed his pokemon with certainty, the grass type leapt into the air and sent a single vine towards the fox pokemon.

Salvia watched as her pokemon was lightly tapped by the vine pushing it back slightly from the small amount of force in battle, "Will-o-Wisp," Salvia called for the next attack, balls of ghostly flames appeared around the tails of Vulpix before being thrown towards the opposing pokemon.

"Use Leaf Storm for defense," Ash ordered quickly, as the balls of fire got closer, a barrage of leaves appeared around the grass type preventing Vulpix's attack from harming Serperior, "nice now use it to hit Vulpix," in a quick burst the leaves pushed out hitting the fire type with moderate strength .

Vulpix got up after taking the hit, "even at a lower level of power he is still powerful," Salvia hissed in frustration, she watched as her pokemon started panting, she looked at the Fire Stone that was given to her, "Vulpix, show them Shadow Ball," Salvia instructed her pokemon confidently, a ball of ghostly energy formed above Vulpix's mouth before sending towards the opposing grass type.

Ash looked in surprise as the powerful attack smashed into his pokemon, "not bad Salvia, counter with Leaf Blade," Ash instructed with confidence, Serperior jumped into the air and spun around with her tail glowing green.

Salvia watched and closed her eyes, 'I will get stronger,' Salvia thought before opening her eyes to see Serperior gtting ready to slash down to end the battle, "Use Flame Charge to dodge the attack," Salvia instructed her fire type quickly, Vulpix surrounded itself with a flaming aura before running away from the area of the battle, "now hit it with Flame Charge," Salvia told her pokemon, Vulpix charged towards the opposing pokemon with greater speed hitting the grass type with amazing velocity.

Serperior jumped back panting from how much of a fight Vulpix was putting up, Ash smiled and pulled out Serperiors pokeball, "not bad Salvia, I think Vulpix is ready to evolve," Ash complimented the princess with a smile, "now Salvia, you learnt about type advantages, you use some powerful fire type attacks," Ash said while recalling his pokemon.

Salvia looked at the fire stone and then towards the tired fire type pokemon, "so if I use this stone Vulpix will evolve?" Salvia asked while clutching the stone in her hand.

Ash nodded while Salvia knelt down next to her Vulpix, "but you must be careful, evolution stones only have one use," Ash pointed out while watching the princess move the stone closer to the fire type, "you also must be certain that you want an evolved pokemon," Ash stated while looking at his Raichu who was still trying to push away Salvia's Raichu.

Salvia looked into the cute eyes of Vulpix, "are you certain?" Salvia asked her pokemon, Vulpix nodded and without hesitation pressed its head up against the fire stone in Salvia's hand, Vulpix started to glow and grow larger, three more tails sprouted out, after waiting for ten seconds the glowing finally stopped revealing a white colored pokemon with a longer snout and nine beautiful tails, "so this is Ninetails?" Salvia enquired as the newly evolved pokemon walked up to her.

Ash watched as the princess started patting her pokemon, 'Salvia, has just gotten a little stronger, but she still has a long way to go before she can stop relying on me to protect her,' Ash thought while gazing at the princess proudly, "Salvia, there will some battles that I will not fight for you," Ash said calmly.

Salvia nodded while keeping eye contact with Ash, she recalled her Ninetails and turned her gaze to Ash, "I understand Ash, please teach me as much as you can while we travel together," Salvia said in hope, "I want to become stronger to protect the ones I love," Salvia pointed out while walking up to Ash, 'even to protect you,' Salvia thought as the duo looked ahead to see Lavender Town and its iconic tower.

Ash closed his eyes and thought about the challenging battle that lay ahead of him, "Scott, I will battle you tomorrow, I will win the pin and proceed on my journey," Ash said with determination, Ash looked over to the princess for a moment and smiled at her, "and I will have your support," Ash said with assurance.

Salvia nodded approvingly as the duo started walking towards the town and the next battle, "and you will win the battle," Salvia guaranteed while walking next to Ash.

* * *

**And some of you thought I was turning it Pearlshipping, I guess the last part of the last episode did its job ha? **

**I also understand that the first part of this episode was a little fluffy but I don't care, I was sort of hoping that it would work a little differently but I think this will suffice, what I will do is release the alternate version of the confession between the two if plenty of people ask me to.**

**The next episode will be the rematch between Ash and Scott, with two Characters making a return until Johto.**

**Next time: Rematch at the Tower.**

_Team updates._

_Salvia: Dragonair, Raichu, Eevee, Ninetails, Seel and Clefairy._

_Please read and review. remember review or PM me if you want the alternate confession posted on the site before I change it completely._

_I am also thinking of doing something completely different next year, I am thinking of doing a story with Elesa and Volkner, as well as having one with Ash and Rosa (Mei) for one of the stories next year._


	18. Rematch at the Tower

**Episode 18: Rematch at the Tower.**

_Time for the rematch we have been waiting, time to find out if Ash can win his third pin, I will reintroduce a couple of characters to travel with Ash and Salvia and here they are. This episode will reveal a side story, if you can tell me what it is I will let that person choose the next pairing to work with next year._

_Misty: 18_

_Cilan: 21_

* * *

Ash and Salvia walked into the city with the sun having already set and the air quickly cooling down, the sky was starting to darken as stars started to fill the sky, one by one the tons street lights started to show the way towards the Pokemon Center, the duo followed by their respective Raichu followed the street lights towards the Pokemon Center, "I will use the same team but this time I will change things up," Ash told himself while thinking about the upcoming challenge, 'I am certain he has prepared four rematch,' Ash was constantly thinking while remembering the lost battle against Scott.

Salvia walked in ahead of Ash and stopped in front of him, "you're nervous aren't you?" Salvia enquired quietly, Ash nodded in response as he stopped in front of the young royal, "why are you so nervous Ash, you're a strong trainer," Salvia assured while grinning at the trainer.

Ash looked at the increasing number of stars and let out a sigh, "I don't feel that I have prepared enough," Ash declared while watching a start shoot across the inky night sky, "we have been kept busy thanks to Team Rocket and your uncle," Ash pointed out.

The two continued on their way to the medical facility as they walked passed a few houses until they stopped at the Pokemon Center, "Ash, while we travel, we will be able to camp out more often?" Salvia asked calmly while the doors opened to let them into the facility.

"The pokemon that will suit you is a Growlithe," a man wearing a waiters suit, short green hair said with a smile.

Ash walked up to the man with a smile, "I see your travels have brought you to Kanto Cilan," Ash said after approaching the pokemon connoisseur.

Cilan turned around to see Ash standing behind him, "Ash, it's been a while, are you traveling again?" Cilan replied happily while taking a slice of pizza from a plate in front of him, "why are you traveling again Ash? Haven't you achieved everything you wanted when you won the Unova League three years ago?" Cilan enquired calmly as Salvia approached the Ash and Cilan, "and who is this Dawn look alike?" Cilan continued to pile on the questions.

Ash smirked for a moment and sat down at the table opposite Cilan, "her name is Salvia, a princess from the Sinnoh Kingdom," Ash introduced the royal as she took a seat next to Ash, "we are traveling together as I compete in the masters challenge," Ash retorted to the first lot of questions, Ash then turned his view to Salvia who grabbed a slice of pizza, "Salvia, this is Cilan and old traveling companion from the Unova region, and that is pizza," Ash introduced Salvia to the person sitting in front of them and the bit of food.

Salvia looked at the triangle slice and cautiously moved the food towards her mouth, she opened her mouth and continued carefully, Ash lost patience and pushed the slice of pizza into her mouth, she bit down and closed her eyes, "so, princess how is it?" Cilan asked coolly.

Salvia opened her eyes surprised at what she had eaten, "amazing, what is this food?" Salvia asked forgetting that Ash had already told her what it was.

Ash frowned at the fact that the princess didn't hear what Ash told her before, "princess, that is called pizza," Ash replied much to the Salvia's annoyance.

Salvia glared at Ash while Cilan looked on nervously, "how many times do I have to tell you Ash, don't call me by my title," Salvia instructed Ash while the two Raichu looked on nervously, they looked at each other while scratching their heads and laughing at their trainers, "call me princess one more time I dare you," Salvia challenged Ash while smiling at Ash.

Ash shrugged his shoulders and smirked at the young royal, "princess," Ash called out repeatedly before being pushed out of his seat.

"I told you, while I am traveling with you, I don't want to be called by my title!" Salvia yelled at Ash in anger as she grabbed a slice of pizza, "here I bet you're hungry," Salvia said as she dropped the slice of pizza on Ash's face. After dropping the slice of pizza on Ash the princess walked to the front desk and got keys to her room, she turned back to see Ash still on the ground with pizza on his face.

The two electric pokemon burst out into laughter while Cilan looked on in shock, "geez Ash I guess you've met your premium brand, not only as a traveling companion but as someone who can connect with you," Cilan pointed out while Ash was picking himself up, "I was talking to Dawn while you were training in Celadon before the contest and she handed me these few items," Cilan said while pulling out a familiar photo album and camera, "she instructed me to take photos of you and Salvia," Cilan said while taking a picture of Ash taking the pizza off his face, "but an embarrassing moment is just as good," Cilan pointed out while taking another picture.

Ash picked himself up and looked at the two pokemon laughing at him, "thanks for the support buddy," Ash said with sarcasm before turning his gaze to Cilan, "did you take a picture of me being humiliated by the princess?" Ash asked a now nervous connoisseur.

Cilan closed his eyes while Ash took a bite of the pizza that was on his face, "well Ash, you did kind of deserve it," Cilan replied with a smile.

Ash got back onto his seat and spotted the album, "oh come on, why did Dawn give you that?" Ash asked in displeasure, "I thought I escaped this album but now it seems to follow me," Ash said while taking another slice of pizza and walked up to the front counter to grab his key for his room, "come on you two we need to get some sleep before my battle tomorrow," Ash said while calling over the two Raichus.

Ash walked through the hallway, not a sound was heard except for someone singing in one of the rooms, "what? Who is that? I know it's a female," Ash told himself while trying to find the origins of the music he was hearing, he walked towards the only door that gave Ash a possible answer, he pushed on the door forcing it open by accident, the trio walked into the room and looked around to see no one was inside, "odd I could swear that there was someone singing in this room," Ash said as the two electric pokemon silently looked further into the room, suddenly as the silence built up the mysterious singing started again, "that voice and song, so beautiful," Ash said in a relaxed tone.

Ash walked out of the room while forgetting that the two Raichu stayed in the room, he closed the door behind him leaving the empty room to the electric mouse pokemon, after the door closed another one opened with Salvia peering into the room while wearing a dressing gown, "that was close," Salvia said in relief, she looked around to see her Raichu trying to make her move on Ash's Raichu, 'I must have forgotten to lock the door,' Salvia thought as she sat on the bed feeling tired from the days walk.

_(10 Hours later)_

Ash was standing at one end of the battlefield feeling refreshed from the long nights sleep, his elderly opponent was ready to face Ash in a rematch for the pin, "I hope you're ready young man," Scott enquired as he picked one of his pokeballs, "Chandelure, it's time to battle," Scott called out for his ghost pokemon to start the battle.

Ash stood there and started to remember about the last battle the two had, 'he would expect me to use Krookodile,' Ash thought while grabbing one of his containment devices, "so instead I will go with Garchomp," Ash declared as he called out a dark blue pokemon with a large fin on his back.

Scott stood there in astonishment while gazing at Ash's new dragon pokemon, "I see Gabite evolved a little while ago," Scott pointed out proudly. "Time to start things off with Flamethrower," Scott instructed his pokemon to start the battle.

Garchomp got ready for the instruction of the attack, Ash showed his determination, "Garchomp dodge the attack," Ash instructed with certainty, the flurry of inched closer at an unbelievable rate but the large dragon dodged the attack and charged towards the ghost type opponent, "now counter with Shadow Claw!" Ash yelled out his command, a shadowy claw appeared as the dragon type got closer, he slashed down inflicting immense damage to Chandelure.

The ghost type hit the ground from the devastating attack, "wow there is way more power to that attack," Scott said as a smile appeared on his face, "now attack with Shadow Ball," Scott ordered as his ghost type powered up a large sphere above its arms before firing it at the opposing pokemon, the sphere made quick ground hitting the intended target before the team of Ash and Garchomp could react, "now attack with Will-O-Wisp," Scott ordered quickly.

"Don't give it a chance, use Earthquake," Ash commanded quickly, the ground started to shake stopping the ghost type from focusing its energy into the attack and bringing down parts of the ceiling, the powerful attack landed critically hitting the fire type, "now end this with Dragon Claw!" Ash yelled out for the final attack of the round, the final attack landed knocking out the exhausted ghost type from the battle.

Scott recalled his fallen pokemon and raised his eyes to Ash, "well played young man, you have shown a lot of improvement since we last battled," Scott complimented Ash on the quick improvement , "Froslass, time to show them what you're made of," Scott called out a mostly white pokemon, "time to start this round with Ice Beam," Scott said while calling for the first attack of the new round.

"No time to wait, dodge the attack with Dragon Dance," Ash commanded confidently, the large pokemon swiftly danced around the frigid beam and knowingly charged towards the ice land pokemon, "counter but this time with Shadow Claw," Ash called for his dragon's next attack.

"Quick fire another Ice Beam," Scott quickly instructed as the intimidating pokemon sped closer to his pokemon, the power icy beam smashed into Garchomp dealing heavy damage to the dual type pokemon, "you forget young man, Dragon Dance increased the speed of your pokemon," Scott pointed out as the large dragon picked himself up slowly, "not bad for a pokemon with a severe type disadvantage," Scott said impressed at the tenacity of the dragon type.

Ash pulled out his pokeball after his dragon collapsed after the powerful hit on him, "thanks Garchomp," Ash said gratefully as he got another containment device ready to call out his next combatant, "Emboar, I choose you," Ash brought out his fire type for the battle against the ice land pokemon, "time to turn up the heat, Flamethrower," Ash instructed his pokemon with vigor, the mega pig pokemon sent out a flurry of flames towards Froslass.

"Attack with Water Pulse," Scott commanded with certainty, a large ball of water was sent to the incoming fire type move but this time the water attack was rendered ineffective against the mighty fire attack, "it seems like he did a lot of training in three days, he is far stronger than I anticipated," Scott told himself as his pokemon jumped up barely dodging the attack, "or is it that he is more certain of himself?" Scott asked himself as Froslass took a mighty hit from the fire attack, "Froslass, attack with Water Pulse again," the elderly master commanded with confidence.

A large ball of water built up and was thrown at the mega pig pokemon, the water attack landed dealing a decent amount of damage to Emboar as well as causing confusion, "Emboar return, now Emboar I return to the battlefield," Ash said while smiling at his opponent confidently, "now it's time to attack with Flamethrower," Ash requested the next attack of the battle.

"Shadow Ball Froslass," the ghost master instructed his pokemon calmly, the two attacks built up and were sent towards one another in a direct attack, Flamethrower quickly overpowered the ghost attack and pushed it back towards the ice land pokemon with great intensity, Scott watched in shock as the smoke cleared up revealing his pokemon on the ground out cold from the power of the combined powers of the two attacks, 'he is more certain than the last battle we had,' Scott thought to himself. Scott took his next pokeball and called out his next pokemon, "Jellicent, time to battle," Scott called out his pink and white pokemon with confidence.

Ash took his pokeball and recalled his fire type pokemon, "Raichu, I am relying on you to battle here," Ash called over to his electric pokemon calmly, while Raichu ran to the battlefield Salvia's Raichu appeared from her pokeball the cheer for Ash's Raichu.

The princess's Raichu jumped on to Salvia's lap and started to call out for her male counterpart, "seems like you want to cheer for Ash as well," Salvia said with a smile while holding onto her Raichu, "come on Ash, you can do it!" Salvia cheered loudly while Cilan was watching the royal cheering loudly. Cilan took the chance to take a picture of Salvia cheering Ash with her Raichu.

Raichu stood at the ready to battle the floating pokemon with sparks flying from his cheeks, "let's go buddy, attack with Electro Ball," Ash ordered for the first attack of the new round of battle.

"Water Pulse," Scott replied to Ash's commanded with strength, the two attacks collided with great force causing a large shockwave to push the pokemon back slightly, Ash and Scott remained calm as their pokemon glared at each other waiting for the next command, "Shadow Ball," Scott called out for the next attack.

'Time to take a leaf out of Salvia's book,' Ash thought as he started to grin, "Volt Tackle to dodge the attack," Ash commanded with confidence.

Salvia looked on amazed at Ash utilizing one of her moves, "Ash, is using one of my ideas," Salvia said with pride, 'next he will use Volt Tackle to hit Jellicent,' Salvia thought while Ash told his Raichu to use Volt Tackle to attack Jellicent, causing Salvia's electric type to cheer even louder.

The powerful attack landed dealing significant damage to the victim of the attack, red sparks flew from Raichu after the devastating attack, "not bad Ash, you're definitely more confident than the last battle," Scott stated with a smile as Jellicent barely remained in the battle, "use a combination, Shadow Ball, Water Pulse and another Shadow Ball," Scott called out for a combination attack.

"Raichu, Use Volt Tackle to dodge the attacks on the way to hitting Jellicent," Ash commanded with confidence. Raichu started running towards he pink ghost type while dodging the first two attacks, as Raichu got closer to the opposing pokemon he was hit by a powerful Shadow Ball, knocking him back towards Ash, "alright time to try another combination, Raichu, use Double Team," Ash ordered the next attack.

Scott, Salvia and Cilan looked on in a perplexed manner, "what is he thinking?" the three asked in unison.

"Raichu, finish this round with Volt Tackle," Ash instructed the electric mouse pokemon, every Raichu clone in the area charged towards the floating pokemon with a yellow aura, the clones passed through the ghost type until the real Raichu smashed into Jellicent with incredible impact.

"Amazing, not only one combination move to catch me off guard but two combination attacks to win this round," Scott explained with a smirk, he recalled his fallen pokemon and got ready to bring out his next battler, "Golurk, time to battle," Scott called out a large blue pokemon.

Ash gulped at the sight of the large pokemon again, "Raichu, we are going to try and get static to activate, we only have one shot at it," Ash whispered to his electric pokemon, the electric mouse nodded in approval and got ready to start the strategy of this battle.

"Use Heavy Slam," Scott called for the attack in a hurried manner.

Ash's eyes glinted as this was the chance he needed to get Raichu to activate the ability, "Iron Tail," Ash commanded much to the shock of everyone in the area, the two attacks connected, Raichu crashed to the ground from the impact of Heavy Slam and fell in the battle against Golurk in one attack, it was in the instant afterwards that Ash noticed a few sparks flying from Golurk's body, 'excellent,' Ash thought with a smile, he walked up to his Raichu and picked him up, "thanks for the help buddy, I will make this up to you buddy," Ash promised as he carried his partner to the seats next to Salvia.

Scott watched as his opponent walked back to his side of the battlefield, "what were you trying to achieve?" Scott asked with slight disdain.

Ash smirked at his opponent with confidence, "to have static take effect," Ash confessed with a smile, while pointing to the sparks flying from Golurk's large body, "now time to bring home the victory, Serperior, I choose you," Ash called out his green serpentine pokemon into the battle, the grass type sneered at her opponent and awaited for the attacks to be called out, "Leaf Blade now," Ash called for an attack against the larger ground type pokemon.

"Heavy Slam now," Scott called out for the attack, Golurk flew up before lunging towards the grass type, but as it got closer the paralysis to its grip on the automatum pokemon allowing the grass type to use Leaf Blade on the ghost type pokemon, Golurk was knocked back towards its trainer after the powerful attack landed, panting from the severity of the attack. "Shadow Punch," Scott yelled out the next attack, Golurk flew towards the grass type with a shadowy fist.

The attack landed critically hitting the powerful grass type, "counter it with Leaf Storm," Ash commanded with confidence, a massive twister of leaves flew outwards smashing into the ghost type dealing incredible damage to Golurk, Golurk hit the ground after the powerful, 'alright two more to go, but I cannot get over confident,' Ash reminded himself as he remembered what happened in the last battle against Scott.

"Dusknoir, let's show them what we can do," Scott called out his next pokemon to battle Ash's grass type. "Dusknoir start things off with Ice Punch," Scott instructed his ghost type calmly, the gripper pokemon lunged towards Serperior with an icy fist.

"Quick Serperior, dodge the attack then use Leaf Blade," Ash said calmly as the two pokemon continued to the charge at one another, in the last moment, the grass type leapt up and slashed down with a glowing green tail, hurting the ghost type, but was countered by the icy fist of Dusknoir dealing strong damage to the serpent like pokemon, "wow this one is powerful," Ash said in shock as his pokemon started to pant from the powerful hit it received from the ghost type, "alright attack with Leaf Storm," Ash ordered hurriedly, Serperior unleashed another storm of leaves but the ghost master remained calm.

"Counter with Will-O-Wisp," the elderly master commanded with certainty, the small balls of fire blasted through the barrage of leaves and headed for the origin of the last attack, the attack landed causing Serperior to suffer the burn effect, "now finish this off with Hex," Scott instructed his pokemon confidently, the eye of Dusknoir started to glow purple as a devastating aura surrounded the grass type pokemon.

Serperior collapsed from the powerful attack forcing Ash to recall the grass type, "alright, I still have the slight advantage, Emboar, return to the battlefield," Ash called for the fire type pokemon, "attack with Flamethrower," after the command the mega pig pokemon sent out a river of flames towards the gripper pokemon, the attack landed dealing a large amount of damage to the ghost type pokemon.

"Earthquake," the ghost master called out for the counter attack, the ground around the fire type started to shake as parts of the ground lifted up and hurt Emboar, the fire type fell to the ground from the battle, "well it seems you only have two pokemon left to battle me," Scott instructed Ash as a smile widened on his face, Ash recalled his fire type pokemon while Salvia was cheering for Ash louder than ever.

Ash took a look at the remaining members of his team, Ash closed his eyes and started to think about what to do next, "I will save Lucario for later," Ash told himself as he placed the aura pokemon's device back on his belt, "so I will go with Krookodile," Ash said while calling out a large red pokemon confidently. "Time to start this round," Ash proclaimed as the intimidation pokemon got ready to receive a command from his trainer, "krookodile attack with Crunch," Ash ordered with strength.

"Meet it with Ice Punch," Scott told his pokemon, the two combatants charged at one another with great prowess, they eventually met in the middle of the arena with both attack landing, both pokemon landed a critical blow knocking each other back, Dusknoir slowly got up and awaited the next command while the intimidation pokemon was back on his feet in seconds, "Will-O-Wisp," Scott told his ghost type pokemon with assurance.

"Stone Edge now," Ash ordered with precision, as the attacks formed around the two combatants Ash focused even more on the battle while hearing the cheers of the princess becoming more frequent, "show them what you're made of Krookodile," Ash yelled out as the rock type move flew through the air meeting with the orbs of ghost like flames.

The attacks caused an explosion creating a thick cloud of dust and smoke to rise up on the battlefield, Scott watched and waited for the smoke and dust to clear up, "he is feeding off the cheering of that young woman," Scott said with a smile as his patience was starting to show.

"Dig now," Ash told his pokemon while the smoke and dust started to settle.

After the air cleared up Scott looked around to try and find Ash's pokemon, "he used dig at a great time, Dusknoir attack with Earthquake," Scott told the gripper pokemon calmly.

The ground start to shake in every direction causing some of the old evolution stones to loosen up on the ceiling, "now Krookodile," Ash told his pokemon with rising confidence, Krookodile rose up from the ground and charged towards the ghost type pokemon, "finish it with Crunch," Ash yelled out while punching out in front of him.

"Dusknoir attack with Ice Punch," Scott yelled out in panic, Dusknoir stopped the previous attack and charged towards the intimidation pokemon with another icy fist, the two pokemon met in the middle of the battlefield landing both attacks at the same time, the two combatants flew back from the force of the attacks, the slowly got up, "hmph not bad, but it seems like I win this round," Scott said with a proud smile as both pokemon fell to the ground from the high level of the round, "seems like I was wrong," Scott said as he recalled his pokemon from the battle.

"We each have one left to battle with," Ash said while recalling his pokemon, "Lucario, I choose you," Ash called out his last pokemon with confidence.

"Gengar, time to finish this battle," Scott called for his last pokemon, the two pokemon looked at one another with respect while waiting for the commands of their trainers.

"Come on Ash win this battle!" Salvia yelled out at the top of her lungs.

'Amazing, her cheering is getting louder,' Cilan thought with a smile, 'I see what Dawn was saying about these two,' Cilan thought as he turned his gaze back to the battle, "should be an interesting last round of this high level battle," Cilan pointed out as he stood up to start cheering for his friend.

Ash looked to the right and grinned a little before turning his attention back the battle, "Lucario, attack with Shadow Ball," Ash instructed the aura pokemon, the blue pokemon put its palms together and formed an orb of shadows before firing it at the ghost pokemon.

"Counter with your Shadow Ball," Scott directed his pokemon with certainty, the ghost type formed a second purple sphere before sending it towards the incoming attack; the two attacks collided with immense force before exploding sending out a shockwave knocking the Salvia and Cilan back into their seats and forcing Ash to step back a little, "what power," Scott pointed out as the two pokemon continued to watch one another, "use Thunderbolt," Scott told his pokemon without hesitation.

"You will not land a single hit on Lucario, dodge the attack," Ash said telling Lucario to move quickly, the explosive bolt of lightning landed only a few feet from Ash but the trainer didn't flinch for an instance, "now counter with Dark Pulse," Ash called out as the aura pokemon powered up another attack from the palm of its paws, he sent out a devastating burst of dark energy towards the ghost type.

Gengar barely had the chance to move, the ghost pokemon was hit by a mighty dark wave of energy, "Garchomp wasn't the only one to improve immensely," Scott hiss while his pokemon hit the ground, Gengar picked itself up and started to pant as the speed of Lucario was overwhelming the ghost type, "attack with Hypnosis," Scott told his pokemon to start the next attack.

"not this time, dodge the attack Lucario," Ash declared with vigor, the fighting type jumped into the air and landed next to the ghost type, "Shadow Ball again," Ash called out for the next attack, the attack formed in one of the paws of Lucario, he pushed the purple sphere into Gengar with considerable force knocking the pokemon back towards its trainer.

Scott watched as his pokemon got up again but this time it fell back onto the ground giving Ash the battle much to the delight of his friends, "not bad young man," Scott said as he recalled his fallen pokemon. Ash recalled his pokemon proudly and walked up to the ghost master, "how many pins is that for you?" Scott asked with a smile while handing over the pin to Ash.

Ash put the pin in a special case and smiled at the elderly master, "that would be three sir," Ash retorted with pride.

Scott placed his hand on his chin and nodded, "well that means you only have one more pin to get in this region, then you have to take your challenge to another region," Scott explained while escorting Ash, Salvia and Cilan to the exit of the tower, "may I suggest that you go to Cinnabar Island? That is where Kanto's final pin is," Scott pointed out calmly before heading back into the tower to await his next challenge.

"Thanks for the battle," Ash said while waving at the ghost master, Ash looked back to see Salvia and Cilan standing there, proud at Ash for achieving victory in a tough battle, "alright we will head to the Pokemon Center, I will need to get my pokemon healed before we continue on our travels," Ash said as his girlfriend nodded in approval.

The trio walked to the pokemon to heal Ash's pokemon, it wasn't long before a woman with short orange hair walked into the medical facility, "alright time to have a break," the familiar person said while looking around the building, she looked over to see a not so strange person walking up to the front counter to pick his pokemon, "Ash, Salvia, nice to see you two again," the red head said with a smile.

"Misty, sorry we couldn't stay in Cerulean to see how the gym was going, but we had to deal with a problem," Ash explained with a frown.

Misty walked up to the duo until another person appeared from another position of the Pokemon Center, "is it alright if I travel with you two for a while?" Misty asked with a smile.

"I would like to travel with you two as well, I sense that there is a flavor that can be built upon by Ash and Salvia," Cilan said with a grin.

Ash and Salvia looked at each other and smiled, "that will not be much of a problem," Ash said in an approving manner, "we are heading back to Celadon anyway," Ash proclaimed the itinerary causing Salvia to tilt her head slightly.

"Why are we heading back to Celadon Ash?" Salvia asked with uncertainty as to what Ash was thinking.

Ash turned his gaze back to Salvia and smiled at her, "I want to teach you how to ride a bike," Ash replied to Salvia's question, "don't worry Raichu will not fry your bike," Ash promised with laughter as memories of three fried bikes filled his mind.

After a few hours of planning the next part of their journey the group of four walked out of the Pokemon Center to start their journey to Celadon City, before exiting the town the four of them were greeted by a group of five people, Salvia looked in shock as she recognized the five people, "dad, what are you doing here?" Salvia asked in astonishment.

The king glared at the traveling entourage and then back to his daughter, "Salvia, you're coming home with me right now," Brian declared much to his daughter's dismay.

* * *

**The pin battle is won, but the final stages of Ash and Salvia's travels in Kanto start off with a stern declaration from the king.**

**Will Salvia build the courage to stand her ground? Or will she be forced to go home?**

**Next time: Defiance.**


	19. Defiance

**Episode 19: Defiance.**

_Nothing to give away in this episode, yes it was quick because the idea of this episode was around before even the last episode, please enjoy and review at the end._

* * *

Salvia stood her ground as her father approached her, she took a couple of steps forward while looking at the ground. Salvia shut her eyes for a moment and thought about her travels so far. While Salvia was thinking about her trip Misty and Cilan tried to stop the princess's father from taking their new friend home but Ash got between them and his girlfriend, "Ash, what you doing, if we don't stop them Salvia will be going home," Misty and Cilan yelled at Ash in unison.

Ash looked back an smiled at his friends before moving aside, "nothing to worry about," Ash said as he turned his focus back to the princess, 'this is a battle only you can do,' Ash thought while watching the princess taking more steps back.

Salvia stood there and opened her eyes again, she looked back to see Misty and Cilan standing there after being stopped by Ash, 'thank you for standing up for me, but I will have to make my choices myself,' Salvia told herself while turning her focus to Ash, 'and you my love, what I am about to do is because you helped me,' Salvia stated while nodding at Ash.

Brian got closer to his daughter while extending his hand to grab her arm, "Alright my young daughter, time to take you home," the king said as he grabbed his daughter's arm to take her home, while this was going on Ash extended his arm to his left to prevent his other friends from getting in the way who were rushing to help their new frend. Salvia forced her arm free and took the a few steps back, "Salvia what are you doing?!" the king asked in anger while his daughter stood next to Ash.

"Dad, I am not going home, for once I am going to stand up for myself," Salvia said as her determination built.

Brian looked into his daughter's eyes and saw an unwavering will from her, "you have no idea what you're saying, you need to come home and I will do it by force if need be," the King declared while his anger started to build, "when you come home, I will make sure to have the wedding between you and the prince of Hoenn occur the moment we get home," the king decreed with a smirk.

Salvia smiled at her father, "not giving me a choice, that's just like you dad, you never let me experience what the world has to offer!" Salvia yelled at her father, she grabbed her pokeball ready to battle her father, "I will make my choices even if I have to battle you for it," Salvia declared much to the king's delight, "I know you have only been beaten once in twenty years, but I will battle and defeat you," Salvia said while holding her pokeball.

"Rapidash, time to battle," Brian called out a fiery horse, "you don't have the experience to make the choices Salvia!" the king declared in anger as he got ready to battle, "I gave you a friend in the palace, someone to marry when you turned nineteen, and this is what you do in return!" the king said as his daughters defiance started to frustrate him.

"Yes you gave me a friend in the palace, he is a true friend and trust him, but preventing me from gaining the experience and not allowing me to have a choice has led to this journey," Salvia explained as Colin looking on with a smile on his face, "I will see the world, with friends I make on my own, I will get hurt then pick myself up, I will experience battles to their fullest," Salvia decreed as she threw out her pokeball, "Dragonair, It's time to shine!" Salvia yelled out as she called out a large blue pokemon without back down.

'She has gotten stronger, not only in will power,' Colin wondered as he watched Salvia call out her first pokemon, 'Dragonair, seems like she is getting better as a trainer,' Colin told himself as he looked over to Ash.

Salvia looked over to her friends again and then eventually to Ash, "dad, all I wanted was to see the world, I am curious to see what the world has to offer, from dangers that puts my life at risk, to making new friends to share my journey with, I felt that I would become a better queen if I learnt about the world by seeing it with my own two eyes!" Salvia yelled at her father as her pokemon got ready to battle.

"You're still too young to make those decisions," Brian pointed out while his guards were watching, "you travel with that man, to prove what? What have you gained by traveling with him!" The king asked as he started to calm down.

Salvia walked up the Ash and started to mover her hands closer to the trainer, "Ash, I will make my stand here, I will prove that I can stand on my own two feet," Salvia said with a smile as he hands got closer to Ash, "well dad, I am not going to marry the prince you lined up for me," Salvia confessed as she looked up to her father, "I have made my first choice," Salvia confessed as she placed her hands on Ash's face and pressed her lips on the trainers, much to the dismay of her father. 'Today, I make my choice,' Salvia thought as she closed her eyes yet again.

Everyone around the duo watched as Salvia continued to kiss Ash, Misty looked on in disbelief, 'this can't be,' Misty thought as she looked away in sadness, while the green haired friend took the chance to snap another photo of Ash and Salvia this time kissing.

'She is defying me,' Brian said while standing there watching his daughter kissed the strange trainer, he stood there as his daughter while Colin stood there trying not to smile or say anything, "Salvia, what are you doing?!" the king asked in rage.

Salvia pulled back from the kiss and looked at her father with a proud smile, "making my own choices dad," Salvia retorted with a confident grin, "you see dad, I choose who I want to be with, I choose this trainer because I truly love him," Salvia confessed much to her father's displeasure.

"I will not stand for this, I will not stand for my daughter to be with a person who isn't of royal blood, Rapidash attack with Flare Blitz," the king ordered without any care.

Salvia looked on in determination as her father's pokemon approached her dragon pokemon, she remained calm and got ready to make the next leap of faith. "Dodge the attack Dragonair," Salvia ordered her pokemon smartly, the dragon promptly dodged the attack and awaited the next command, "now attack with Aqua Tail," Salvia issued he next order with vigor, the dragon type spun around before slamming its tail down with water spiraling from it, the attack landed on the fire type while it remained off guard from the previous attack.

Salvia's father looked on in astonishment as Dragonair landed in front of the princess as determined as his daughter, "not bad my daughter, but I am still better trained than you," the king pointed out as his pokemon galloped back to its trainers side, "also young man who are you?" the king asked while glaring at the trainer.

Ash looked over to the king with a smile on his face, "my name is Ash Ketchum from Pallet Town," Ash replied to the kings question, "Salvia, prove to your father that you know how to make your own choices, show your dad how much stronger you've gotten," Ash said in support of the princess with his fists clenched.

"What is the meaning of this? He isn't calling you either Lady Salvia or Princess Salvia," the king enquired with fury, "you need to be more formal," the king said while turning his attention back to his daughter.

As the situation began to worsen Misty and Cilan pulled out their pokeballs, "I told you two no, this is Salvia's battle, she has to prove to her father that she is in control of her own future," Ash declared as he friends still called out their pokemon, "Raichu, attack their pokemon with Thunderbolt," Ash commanded as his Raichu prepared an attack against his friends pokemon, "I said stay out of this, I am not getting involved with Salvia's battle either," Ash told his friends before turning his attention back to the battle.

The king looked in shock as he witnessed Ash attack his own friends pokemon, "why did you do that?" the king asked in amazement, "you could easily get involved in our battle but you choose not to, and why do you persist in not being formal?" the king enquired while trying to remain calm.

"I choose not to be involved in your battle, because I believe your daughter has the right to make her own choice," Ash replied to the first enquiry with a smile, "also I don't think you know daughter well enough," Ash said as the king yelled out in anger to the trainers response.

"You think you know my daughter better than me?" the king as while Ash burst out into laughter.

"I know so, first off Salvia asked me to not be formal, she asked me to call her by her name, not by her title," Ash explained with certainty as Salvia looked over to Ash, "plus she is a really good baker, she also willing to put herself on the line for her friends and her pokemon," Ash pointed out with pride while looking at the corner of his eye.

"Ash why did you attack our pokemon? My Starmie will not be able to help out," Misty explained in an angered tone.

"Yes Ash, we only wanted to help out," while Cilan was tending to his Simisage.

Ash looked back to see his friends looking after their pokemon, "it's because I trust Salvia, this is her battle, not mine and most certainly not yours, this is a battle that she has to face on her own," Ash explained as he pulled out his pokeball, "Colin, can I ask you something?" Ash asked while holding out his pokeball for everyone to see.

Colin turned his focus to see Ash holding out his pokeball, "A battle? Got it, go Reuniclus," Colin called out a green pokemon for his battle against Ash.

"Garchomp, I choose you," Ash called out his pokemon, "to be honest Colin, I have been waiting to battle you for a while," Ash professed while smiling at his friend.

Colin nodded with a proud look on his face, "I have been waiting for this battle for two long weeks," Colin stated while getting ready to make a command.

Ash waited for a moment, "wait, I need to go over a few rules for this battle, it will one on one battle, you cannot help the king, nor can I help Salvia directly, Salvia cannot assist me in battle much like the king cannot help you out Colin," Ash said with a smile, "my friends will stay out of this battle and so will the other guards," Ash explained as his powerful dragon glared at the powerful psychic opponent. "In other words these two battles are separate battles," Ash explained with a grin.

"Alright Ash, if both you and Salvia lose, then she comes home with me," the King set down the wager of the battle.

"Okay, but if both you lose the battle," Ash pointed over to the king, "you go home without the princess and she continues on her journey under my care," Ash said with a confident smile.

"Ash what would happen if each side knocks one pokemon each?" Cilan asked while recalling his Simisage.

Ash looked over to his friends who decided to take a seat to watch the battle, "then the bet is off, but you will give us a three day head start before chasing your daughter again," Ash declared with confidence, 'I know that will be the case, Salvia isn't a strong enough battler yet,' Ash thought as he looked over to the young royal standing her ground, 'but she is showing her father that she is capable of making her own choices,' Ash thought while turning his attention back to Colin, 'plus the king and his men are tired, they need a few days break,' Ash thought while preparing to battle his friend

The king looked at Ash for a moment, "it's a gentleman's agreement," the king said with a smile, "by the way, my name is Brian," the king introduced himself to Ash, "just so you know, Colin and I haven't lost respective battles in a very long time," Brian told Ash with a smirk while getting ready to battle his daughter, "Rapidash, attack with Flamethrower," Brian instructed his pokemon with confidence. A powerful burst of flames started the battle between Salvia and her father while Ash and Colin waited for one another to make the first move.

"I will not wait, Dragonair, attack with Dragon Pulse," Salvia instructed her pokemon, a powerful sphere of energy appeared over the dragons horn before blasting it towards the fire type pokemon, as the attacks got closer the fire type move pushed though the dragons move overwhelming it, "he is too strong," Salvia said in horror as the fire type move slammed into Salvia's pokemon knocking it back.

"Is that the best you've got my daughter, you said you learnt new things, yet as I can see you have learnt very little," the king said with anger as his fire horse galloped towards the next attack, "Flare Blitz," Brian called for the next attack.

Ash placed his hand on Salvia's shoulder, "don't give up, try not to overpower your father," Ash wisely pointed out before turning his focus back to Colin, "what are we waiting for? Garchomp start this battle off with Dragon Claw," Ash commanded sending his pokemon into battle, the dragon type charge towards his friend's pokemon with great intensity.

Colin smiled and watched as Ash's powerhouse flew towards the psychic pokemon, "you charge blindly into battle, take this Psyshock," Colin ordered his pokemon with strength, while the dragon pokemon charged towards the psychic type a strange wave of psychic energy appeared from nowhere and slammed into Garchomp, but as the move pounded the dragon type he still connected with his own move inflicting damage as both pokemon jumped back while looking at one another, "not bad, your dragon is quite the powerful pokemon," Colin pointed out with a smile.

Ash smirked at Colin as the two got ready to continue the battle, Ash kept his focus on Colin while watching Salvia battle her father, her Dragonair had taken another powerful hit but was still willing to battle for its trainer, "Dragonair dodge the attack," Salvia ordered in panic as the dragon pokemon started to get really tired from powerful hit after powerful hit, the fire type pokemon barely missed its attack, "now Dragonair, attack with Dragon Pulse," Salvia commanded hurriedly, a burst of dragonic energy was sent towards the fire type.

"Rapidash, use Bounce," Brian called out as the dragon move slammed into the ground. "You're still inexperienced, you're pokemon's level shows it," Brian said as the fire type slammed down on the dragon dealing critical damage.

"Dad, I will still travel with Ash, I will gain experience, I will battle more to get stronger to defend the ones I love," Salvia told her father as she smiled over to Ash, "I will not live with what you have planned for me and think about what could have been," Salvia said as her dragon pokemon got up and continued to keep up with the battle, "so giving up on my journey it will never happen!" Salvia decreed as Dragonair charged towards fire type pokemon glowing a bright white.

Brian watched as the dragon pokemon grew taller with wings starting to protrude from its back and two legs and arms completed the change, "no, my daughter now has a Dragonite," Brian said in shock as the dragon's claws started to glow before hitting the fire type with great power, "Dragon Claw, her determination has caused this evolution," Brian said as he looked at the powerful opponent, his fire type was now panting from the powerful hit but Dragonite was ready to collapse from the constant powerful hits it suffered during the battle as a Dragonair. "Your pokemon might have evolved but it's still ready to fall in battle," Brian stated while Salvia looked at her new pokemon.

Ash smirked for a moment as Garchomp's landed a powerful attack on the psychic pokemon, Reuniclus leapt back panting from the powerful, Ash looked over his shoulder and noticed a much larger pokemon standing by Salvia's side, "seems like Salvia has a Dragonite," Ash said proudly. "time to end this battle, Garchomp, attack with Shadow Claw," Ash commanded with vigor, the dragon's claw started to glow a deep purple while charging at the multiplying pokemon with his claw extended out.

"Zen Headbutt," Colin instructed his pokemon with confidence, the two pokemon continued to charge at one another with great intent.

While the battle between Colin and Ash as intensifying Dragonite was having a hard time keeping up with the speedy fire type pokemon, it was panting from exhaustion and was about ready to fall in battle, "Dragonite, don't give up, attack with Dragon Claw," Salvia instructed her pokemon with confidence, the dragon pokemon slowly made its way towards the fire type with great power.

"Time to end this battle!" Brian declared with a more serious expression, "Bounce now," Brian issued the final command of the battle, Rapidash jumped up into the air before lunging at the charging dragon type.

Salvia watched as her dragon type was hit by the final attack of the battle, she watched as her Dragonite collapsed bringing an end to her battle, "I lost," Salvia said as she recalled her pokemon. She looked over her shoulder in sorrow while Ash was holding back Colin's powerful pokemon, 'I only have one hope left,' Salvia thought as the multiplying pokemon fell back from the power of the dragon type pokemon.

"You're a worthy opponent Ash," Colin said proudly before witnessing the king falling over from exhaustion, "sire," the royal guard called out as he ran over to his friend, Colin closed his eyes and thought for a moment, "Ash, end this battle, the king needs to rest, I believe you knew this as well," Colin pointed out with certainty.

Ash nodded and got ready to end the battle, "Garchomp attack with Crunch," Ash called out solemnly, Garchomp charged towards the psychic pokemon with glowing white fangs, the attack landed knocking out Reuniclus from the battle, 'he let me win to help the king out,' Ash thought as he recalled his dragon pokemon.

Ash walked up to the king who was barely awake, "go, you can have your three day head start," the king stated while falling asleep.

Ash walked over to Salvia who was feeling down from the defeat that she had suffered at the hands of her dad, "I am still not strong enough," Salvia said as she looked at the ground in shame, Ash put his hand on the princess's shoulder, "Ash, we only got away because my dad was exhausted," Salvia said with a frown as she picked herself up and walked towards her sleeping dad.

Ash followed the princess to her father, "I will help you take the king to a bed," Ash said calmly while helping Colin move the king to the Pokemon Center, "get his pokemon healed and take the three days to rest all of you," Ash told the guards with a smile much to the shock of the guards, Ash walked to the main foyer of the medical facility, he walked up to the princess who was still feeling ashamed of her defeat, "hey you fought well, I doubt your dad will look down upon you that easily anymore," Ash said as he sat next to the princess.

While Ash and Salvia were sitting next to each other Colin walked out of the Pokemon Center, "Ash you fought well, I can't wait to battle you again," Colin said while looking down towards Ash who had his arm around the princess, "Salvia, I am proud of you," Colin said with a smile while the princess had her arms around her legs and her head buried in her arms, "you stood up to your dad, most people would be too scared to do that," Colin pointed out with a smile.

"I was scared Colin, while I was telling my dad how I felt I was shaking in fear," Salvia explained while picking her head up, "but I also knew that if I want to prove something to not only my dad, but to you and Ash, I have to become stronger if I want to show everyone that I can stand on my own two feet," Salvia said as she looked towards the glass door to see the sun starting the set over the horizon.

Salvia rested her head on Ash's shoulder and started to cry a bit, "Salvia, you proved a lot today, you need a good rest," Ash said with a proud smile. "You show a lot more courage than you think Salvia," Ash said while comforting the princess.

Colin followed the duo in while Misty and Cilan the events of the day on the sidelines, "it seems like Ash has the trust of Colin," Misty said while following the trio into the medical facility.

"Misty, are you alright?" Cilan asked the water trainer with concern.

Misty turned her gaze over to the pokemon connoisseur and smiled at him, "we weren't allowed to join the battle, but Ash battled one of the guards for some reason," Misty said with a frown while watching Ash comforting the princess, "plus since when did Ash and the princess fall in love?" Misty enquired before looking at the ground.

Cilan stood next to Misty and watched the same thing as his new friend, "that is a choice those two made, right now we can only support them," Cilan pointed out while walking into the medical facility leaving Misty to ponder outside on her own.

Salvia was still resting on the trainers shoulder and fell asleep while still crying, "you went through a lot," Ash said quietly as he began to slowly move aside while placing his hands on her shoulders to gently help her lay down on the couch. Ash stood up and looked down at the princess and started to walk through the main foyer, "I wonder how the king is going?" Ash asked himself as he walked up to the entrance of the hallway.

Ash walked midway through until he was met by Colin, "Ash, why aren't you heading towards the next pin master?" Colin asked with concern etched on his face.

Ash looked at the door of the king's room, "how's the king going?" Ash asked while avoiding the question.

Colin looked into the room and looked back with a smile, "he will be fine he just needs a few days' rest, while searching for Salvia he wouldn't even sleep, nor did he rest until he found her, it was like that for nearly a week," Colin explained leaving Ash to feel very guilty about what was happening. "Ash the reason why he is so protective of Salvia, is because…" Colin started but was interrupted by Ash.

"Salvia is the only heir he has," Ash remarked with a frown. Ash and Colin walked out of the hallway and saw Salvia sleeping in the middle of the center on a couch, "she took today's events the hardest," Ash said with a grimace while walking up to her, he moved a bit of her hair from her face, "once she has a good night's sleep we will leave with the others," Ash said he turned over to Colin.

Ash walked up to the front desk to get two rooms and picked up Salvia's pokeball containing Dragonite, Raichu was walking up to Ash while being followed by the princess's Raichu, after getting the keys to the rooms the trainer walked over to the princess and looked at her with a smile, "Ash, please don't leave me," Salvia muttered during her slumber, Ash gave one of the keys to his Raichu while placing the other in his pocket, he knelt down and picked up the young royal.

"Time for sleeping beauty to sleep on a real bed," Ash said while carrying the princess through the main foyer, Colin helped Ash open the door to hallway and took the keys to open the door to the selected room, "thanks Colin," Ash said thankfully as he carried the princess through the hallway and into her room.

"No problem Ash," Colin replied before walking to guard the room of the king.

Ash placed the royal on the bed and moved the blankets over the young royal, "good night princess," Ash said as he walked to the exit of the room, "come on buddy time to get some sleep," Ash said while closing the door to the room. Before Ash entered into his room he looked at Colin barely staying awake, "Colin, I will take guard duties, go get some sleep," Ash said while handing over the keys to his friend, "Raichu, stay with the princess," Ash told his pokemon calmly.

_(Outside Fuchsia City) _

"Sir, everything is falling into place," a man said with a quick smile.

"Good very soon our glory will return, make sure that everything is set to capture as many powerful pokemon from the Safari Zone," the man said while sipping his coffee, "once we of Team Rocket capture the powerful pokemon, no one not even Chris will stand in our way from world domination," the man said while looking out the window of his building, "plus it would be the perfect trap to lure the princess into," he said while sitting down in front of the screen.

"Giovanni, what about the legendary pokemon?" the rocket grunt asked his boss with concern.

"Don't worry them, the Team Rocket elite will deal with them," Giovanni decreed with confidence.

"Sir, we will be doing everything we can to start the ultimate plan," he said while closing off the call with a salute.

Chris scanned the area while looking for the members of his forces, "so it seems like Team Rocket is set to double cross me," Chris said in laughter as he turned his back to the area, "it doesn't matter, Team Rocket aren't my main concern," Chris pointed as he started to walk away, "but when you make plans to capture the legendary pokemon, well then I have a problem with that," Chris explained while looking over to his friend, "Alex, I want you to find Moltres," Chris instructed his commander.

"Sir I will be done," Alex said as he disappeared from sight.

* * *

**Salvia stood up to her father but was completely shaken by it, her confidence now shaken due to the lengths her father went to find her.**

**Will Salvia recover from the battle she had with her father? **

**Next time: Broken Confidence.**

**please review the story, I appreciate everyone reading the story and favoriting it. Just stoked that all of you are enjoying the story.**


	20. Broken Confidence

**Episode 20: Broken Confidence.**

_I hope you all enjoy this episode of the series, this episode will be the first lesson for Ash._

* * *

The king stirred a little and started to wake up fron his slumber, after about ten minutes woke up and looked around to see he was resting in an unknown room, "I cannot believe what happened," the king said as he sat up to try and get out of his bed he grabbed his head and looked up to see what was happening, "how long was I out for?" he asked while placing his feet on the carpet of the medical facility. The king stood up and walked to the door, "Colin, how long have I been out for?" he asked his friend.

Colin walked towards the king with a smile on his face, "good to see that you're awake," Colin remarked while looking out the window, "you have been out for nearly a week," Colin pointed out much to the king's surprise, "Ash and Salvia along with their other friends are in Celadon City," Colin stated with a smile

"The last thing I remember, was my victory against my daughter," he said with a frown.

"Sire, we needed to have a break, it would've been terrible for one of us if we had to deal with your brother in the state we were in last week," Colin pointed out, "even Ash was concerned for you my king," Colin explained much to the kings surprise, "unfortunately Lady Salvia was affect by the battle she had with you, she has lost confidence," Colin said while walking out of the hallway.

King Brian walked back into his room and started to change his clothes, 'maybe I should walk in Ash's shoes for once,' the king thought as he looked around to see his royal robes on the front of his bed, "what does he have that my daughter seeks?" Brian asked while sitting on the bed.

Colin sat down at the table with his fellow guards, "sir, what do we do now? Are we going to chase down Lady Salvia?" the guards asked with uncertainty.

"Eventually yes, but I think the king has learned a lesson," Colin said with a smile, "next time we meet Ash and Lady Salvia it might seem like we will be fighting side by side," Colin said with a smile, "it will be hard for the king to accept, but Lady Salvia has chosen her man."

Brian walked into the main foyer and spotted his friends, "Colin, I want you to come with me, the rest of you please go home and see your families," Brian gave out his orders to his men before walking to the table with his shocked guards, "you heard me, I want you all to have a break, just not you Colin," Brian told the men as they ate the food on the table.

"Sire, we want to help you," one of the guards confessed but the king shook his head.

"I expect to see you three at the palace when I return home with my daughter," the King pointed out with a smile, 'Ash, I have learnt a bit from you,' the king thought as he walked out of the medical facility, "Colin, I know you keep in contact with Salvia and Ash, I would like to know more of their travels, I will test Salvia and Ash when I get the chance," Brian said with a smile, "we will stay here and let them have a longer head start," the king said before placing his hand on his friend's shoulder.

'In other words you want a tag partner when you face Ash and Salvia next,' Colin thought while watching the sun rising over the horizon, "it wasn't Ash that taught you something, it was Lady Salvia," the guard said as he greeted his men for the last time, "I am looking forward to seeing you all when we make it home, maybe we can share a drink," Colin said before the men walked away, "before you all go, take this map, there is no point on you all getting lost on the way home," Colin told the guards as the left the scene with pride, 'sire, you did the right thing,' Colin said while turning around to see the king eating a small meal, he looked down at his X-Transceiver and thought about how his two friends were going, 'Ash, make sure Lady Salvia is alright,' Colin thought to himself before walking into the Pokemon Center.

_(Celadon City)_

"Come on Salvia, pick yourself up," Ash instructed as he witnessed the princess fall off her new bike, the princess got up and picked her bike up, she got back on and tried to maintain balance, "that's it Salvia," Ash complimented while watching the princess ride a few meters before falling off her bike again, "you did well," Ash said while walking up to the young royal.

Salvia looked down at the scratches and cuts on her legs, "I will never get this bike riding," Salvia said as she got up and ran off.

Ash watched as the royal left her bike on the road, "Salvia! You almost had it, is giving up your only option?" Ash asked the princess as he picked up her bike and strolled it back to the park bench where Misty was waiting for Cilan to finish cooking the group's lunch.

"Ash, are you having any luck?" Misty asked while looking at the princess who was resting her head on her arms on the table, "she still feels down," Misty pointed out.

Ash looked at the princess who was thinking about her battle with her dad, "hey Salvia, how about teaching me something, like how to read, or maybe even mathematics," Ash said while putting the bike stand up.

Salvia looked up while her head was resting, "Ash, am I holding you back?" Salvia asked before lifting her head up to look at the clouds dotting the sky.

Ash stared at the princess in shock, "what? Why are you asking such a terrible question?" Ash asked as he took a seat next to the princess, "I enjoy your company," Ash admitted with a smile.

"But I feel that you could be in another region, competing for perhaps the sixth pin already," Salvia said while getting back up.

Ash spotted the scratches and cuts on the legs and arms of the princess, "come on, we need to get those scratches and cuts bandaged up, don't want them getting infected or anything," Ash said as he grabbed the first aid kit from his bag and sat next to the princess.

"You're helping me again, will I ever get stronger?" Salvia asked while Ash was using the disinfectant on the princess, Salvia started to cry as the disinfectant started a burning sensation on her sores, "Ash, stop it hurts," the princess cried out but Ash continued to apply it.

"Salvia, I don't want them getting infected, it is better to go through a little pain than a lot of pain," Ash pointed out while applying the final bit of disinfectant, "now we just need to place the bandages and you will be just fine," Ash said with confidence.

"How can you be so confident? You know Colin dropped the battle against you," Salvia said while cringing in pain, "he could have beaten you, my journey could have been over," Salvia said as Ash placed the final bandage on the princess.

Ash looked up with a smile, "done," Ash said happily as he extended his hand out to the princess, "Salvia, I admit I might have lost that battle, but I wanted to battle Colin for a while now, I have no doubt we will be battling you dad and Colin again," Ash explained with a grin, "but will I give up? No, I have to keep going with what I am doing, because that is what I do," Ash said happily. "My win against Colin, well it didn't count, he needed to help your dad," Ash said with a smile while escorting the royal to the table.

"You haven't answered my question Ash, am I holding you back?" Salvia asked while sitting down at the park table.

Ash looked over to the princess with a frown, "I said no, I want to travel with all my friends, learn something new," Ash admitted calmly while taking the seat next to the princess again, "I would much rather have the support of my friends in battle, than to battle in silence," Ash professed happily, "when you cheered for me in my battle against Scott, I felt like I was a stronger trainer," Ash said with a smile while Salvia grabbed a book from her bag. "You aren't holding me back," Ash said while taking the book from the royal.

'Thank you Ash,' Salvia thought as she grabbed a pen and paper for Ash to use, "now Ash, I am going to teach you the basics of Mathematics, adding, subtracting, multiplication and division," Salvia pointed out while the other two watched Salvia teaching Ash, "let's start with addition," Salvia declared with a little more confidence.

"Hold on, before we start, I have one condition, you get back on that bike once we're done here," Ash instructed the princess.

Salvia looked down at the bike then to where her bandages were, "alright, I did say to my dad if I got hurt I will pick myself up," Salvia said while getting ready to tutor Ash. Salvia sat opposite Ash and started to write down a few note, "okay Ash, we will start with something basic," Salvia declared calmly.

'I need to get her confidence back up, but I will only do it a bit at a time,' Ash thought to himself with certainty, the trainer grabbed the pen and waited for the princess to start the lessons.

"Alright Ash, what is seven time seven?" Salvia asked the trainer sitting in front of her.

Ash sat there without a clue on his face, "multiplication right? Or is it addition?" Ash said while Salvia sat there with a surprised look etched on her face, "fourteen," Ash responded as Salvia's mouth almost dropped onto the table.

"No Ash, you can't be that bad at maths, the answer is forty nine," Salvia told the trainer, "Ash multiplications is rather simple, almost like adding but with groups of numbers," Salvia explained as Ash took down a few notes, "let's say I have five groups of two, what would I have?" Salvia asked the trainer while placing two stones on the table. "now once I have five groups of two on the table you need to count how much I have," Salvia instructed the trainer calmly after placing the stones on the table.

Ash looked at the stones and started to count them, "there are ten of them," Ash said with certainty.

"Good, this also applies to seven groups of seven Ash," Salvia taught Ash while she started to become more confident, "when you're dealing with multiplication, you add the groups together until you get the answer," Salvia said as she started to smile at the trainer, "you can also use your fingers, use them to add until you get the answer like this," Salvia said while showing Ash her two fists, "seven, fourteen, twenty one, twenty eight, thirty five, forty two and forty nine," Salvia counted with her fingers while Ash was watching.

"So, what are the easiest times things?" Ash asked the royal who hit her forehead with her palm.

"Times tables Ash," Salvia as the trainer looked on in surprise, "the simplest ones are you twos, fives and tens," Salvia explained while trying to keep the trainer interested, "well since you're this bad, we might start with those three in particular and build you up from there, for example when multiplying tens, you need to move the zero to whatever you're multiplying with, for example with three it would instantly become thirty," Salvia said while she wrote down a few times tables, "try to solve these ones Ash, they are ten times tables that even a second grader can solve," Salvia said with a smirk.

Ash looked down at the paper and saw the numbers, 'alright seven times ten,' Ash thought as he looked at the problem, 'move the zero to the seven for the answer,' Ash thought to himself as he wrote the answer to the best of his ability, he continued to write down the answers until he handed the princess the paper with the six answers.

Salvia looked at the paper and smiled at the trainer, "at least you're a good listener," Salvia said happily. "That was just the basics Ash, let's try your fives," Salvia said with a grin as she wrote down more questions for Ash, "this one is a little more difficult but not that hard, what you do is keep adding your fives for your answer, these questions are in sequential order so it makes it a little easier," Salvia explained while handing Ash the same paper but with the five times tables.

Ash looked down at the paper before looking up to the royal, 'okay so fives,' Ash thought as he looked back down at the sheet of paper, 'one group of five is five,' Ash thought while heading to the next multiplication, 'two times anything is double of what it was from the previous answer,' Ash thought as he wrote down the next answer.

Salvia watched as Ash worked through his sheet of questions, 'well these are the basics,' Salvia thought while taking the sheet back from the trainer, 'but he is starting to get the hang of it,' Salvia thought as she watched the trainer finish the last question, Ash handed her the paper, "alright Ash, time to see how you've answered the questions," Salvia told Ash with a smile, she continued to look at the paper with her smile getting broaders, "not too bad Ash, you know your fives and tens, but those are easy Ash," Salvia told the trainer calmly.

"Alright you two, time to have some lunch," Cilan told the duo while placing the food on the table.

Salvia walked over to the table as Ash followed her, "so I did the basics," Ash said as he stood up and walked over to the table.

Ash grabbed some of the food and sat down to eat, he sat next to the princess, "you know Ash, you did pretty good today, I still have a lot more to teach you," Salvia said while looking at the corner of her eye, "will you continue to teach me how to ride a bike?" Salvia asked while she politely placed the next bit of food into her mouth.

Ash finished stuffing his face with food and gazed over to the royal, "sure I can do that, if you learn today we can make it to Fuchsia City," Ash said proudly as he stood up to go for seconds.

Misty looked up to see Ash go for the next lot of food, "things never change," Misty stated while laughing as the princess looked on in amazement, "he is always wanting food, he never slows down," Misty explained while Ash was walking back to the table.

_(Lavender Town)_

"Sire, what are you doing?" Asked the king after he exited the shop.

The king walked out of the shop wearing a black jacket and with a white shirt, blue jeans and a white pair of seekers, "so Colin, what you think?" Brian asked as his friend looked on in shock, "I figured that we would be better off trying to fit in with the people," Brian said with a smile.

"Sire, what?" Colin asked as he continued to look on in amazement, "you're wearing that outfit?" Colin asked before the king put on a pair of sun glasses, "great, now I will have to deal with this for the rest of the journey," Colin said in disappointment.

"Come on this is great, I have always wanted to wear this sort of attire, my daughter is wearing something less than royal so why can't I?" Brian asked while laughing at his friend.

'At least with Lady Salvia I can understand, but the king,' Colin thought as he started to smile before bursting out into laughter, "well we are trying to fit in, but your outfit is ridiculous," Colin bluntly told the king with a smirk as they walked to the south exit of the small town, "sire, What do you intend to do when you see your daughter again?" Colin asked the king quietly.

The duo continued their walk while the king was thinking about his battle with his daughter, "nothing, I want to see how much my daughter has grown every time we see them," the king explained while they walked on the coast of the eastern road of the region, he looked up to see the white clouds dotting the vast blue sky and a flock of brown pokemon flying overhead, "you know Colin, maybe this journey will be good for Salvia," the king said with a smile.

Colin looked at his friend and smiled at him, "why do you say that?" Colin asked calmly.

"It was when I battled her, she stood up to me and Ash showed how much he cared for my daughter," Brian pointed out with a smile, "I realized one thing, that I was wrong but I was too proud to admit it, to protective to see it that way," Brian proclaimed with a grin. "I learnt a lesson, but I never expected it to be from those two in particular," Brian confessed as they continued to walk towards their next destination.

"Glad to hear it sir, so you have decided against forcefully bringing her home?" Colin asked the king with a proud smile.

"It seems that I have to talk to the king of Hoenn," Brian pointed out with a frown, "we will do that when they go to Hoenn, but first I want to see what my daughter has learnt under Ash's guidance," the king said as the duo walked down the southern road.

_(Near Celadon City)_

Salvia got back on her bike after falling off again, "that's it Salvia, keep going," Ash cheered the royal with pride as he watched the princess riding the bike with great improvement, "almost Salvia, now all you need to do is keep going," Ash told the princess as he watched her turn the handle to take a turn, "nice, you are definitely ready to ride without my guidance," Ash told the bluenette with a smile.

Salvia stopped the bike in front of Ash and walked up to the trainer, "thanks for teaching me how to ride a bike Ash," Salvia while walking her bike by her side, "so what do we do now?" Salvia asked nervously

Ash looked over to a bike he bought a while ago, "we both ride to Fuchsia City," Ash said as Misty and Cilan approached the duo, "I mean we all got to our next destination," Ash said while scratching his head.

Misty glared at the trainer while riding up to Ash and Salvia, "as long as your Raichu doesn't fry our bikes we will be just fine," Misty said with a smirk.

"What happened?" Salvia asked with a puzzled look on her face.

Misty looked over to the princess with a cheeky grin, "he stole my bike while he was being chased by a flock of Spearow, while that was happing his Raichu, which was a Pikachu at the time fried my bike, I traveled with him until he paid me back for my bike," Misty said with a frown while the trainer looked at the princess who was pouting at him.

"May and Dawn had their bikes fried by Raichu, but the two biggest differences were, one I didn't steal them and two they didn't mind," Ash pointed out while scratching the back of his head, "those two never dwelled on it, but Misty, she kept having a go at me for losing her bike," Ash said while laughing at the memory of the situation. "But honestly, it was the memory of the journey we had with Brock that was more worthwhile," Ash explained with pride.

"But you still didn't repay them for destroying their bikes," Salvia said while getting ready to ride off.

"Dawn, didn't worry about it too much, in fact she preferred walking anyway, May she did point it out a few times but never really cared about her bike," Ash explained with laughter, "but Misty, well she continued until we reached the middle of Johto," Ash said while Misty rode off ahead, "it was when we got back to Kanto that she was given her bike back, which was repair during our travels," Ash said calmly before watching Cilan ride off on his bike.

"So Ash, time for us to go our next destination," Salvia said as the trainer got on his bike, "we ride together," Salvia said as she started to ride her bike with Ash riding next to her, 'this is great the wind in my hair, it feels amazing,' Salvia thought as her long blue hair whipped around in the breeze.

Ash and Salvia continued to ride their bikes with the breeze pushing on their faces, "I hope you're enjoying this achievement," Ash said while looking out at the corner of his eye.

Salvia laughed for the entire time enjoying the bike ride, "I love it Ash," Salvia said happily as she continued to ride at the set speed, "I can't believe how much fun this is," Salvia said with a smile, "I cannot wait until my dad sees me riding a bike," the princess chimed while looking at the trainer next to her.

"Nice to see you enjoying this," Ash said with a smile as they finally caught up to Cilan and Misty, "well it seems the bike ride is almost over," Ash said calmly as the princess looked away with disappointment, "what's the matter Salvia?" Ash asked as the princess applied her breaks and put her left leg on the ground, she looked at the ground with a frown, "Salvia, come on you can tell me," Ash said in assurance.

"Ash, I was hoping that we could ride a little longer, I learnt how to ride a bike thanks to you, I wanted to enjoy it a little more," Salvia explained while looking up to the trainer.

Ash stood there and smiled at the princess, "we will have the chance to do this again," Ash said with a smile, "you never forget how to ride a bike," Ash said calmly while cheering up the royal, "I will tell you something, I started just like you," Ash professed with a smile, "I was bad at riding a bike, I scratched and bruised myself countless times, just like you have," Ash said with laughter, "but as I gained more confidence I got better and enjoyed riding a bike," Ash explained while the princess listened on with intent.

"So you taught me to ride a bike to build my confidence?" Salvia enquired with a slight redness building up on her cheeks, "that's great Ash, but I still don't have the confidence to battle anymore, nor do I have the confidence to see my dad just yet," Salvia confessed with a frown.

Ash escorted the bluenette to the entrance of the city as they were walking their bikes while walking next to each other, "that's fine princess, I will help you build your confidence bit by bit," Ash said before being punched on the arm by the princess, "hey, what was that for?" Ash asked while grabbing lifting his arm up in slight pain.

"You called me princess," Salvia pointed out while laughing at the trainer, "I will hurt you if you keep calling me that," Salvia said while entering the building. "I told you many times not to call me princess," Salvia told Ash with a sweet smile.

Ash walked up to the guard and handed him the bike, "excuse me, can you send these bikes to Pallet Town?" Ash asked the guard, "please deliver them to Professor Oak's lab," Ash requested as the guard nodded happily.

"So Ash, what are we going to do next?" Salvia asked the trainer while following the trainer out of the building only to be greeted by Misty and Cilan.

"We are going to the Safari Zone, there I will help you regain some confidence," Ash said while the group walked towards the pokemon center, as they were walking Salvia's Raichu came out of her pokeball and approached Ash's electric pokemon taking his paw and walking in front of the group, Ash's Raichu looked back at his trainer with a nervous look on his face hoping his trainer would help him, "alright buddy come on my shoulder," Ash said but Salvia's Raichu shocked Ash after hearing the words causing everyone to laugh around him, "I guess I deserved that," Ash said while laughing at himself.

_(Near Fuchsia City)_

The king walked near the entrance of the city and started to think about meeting his daughter again, "you know Colin, I have been thinking," the king started with a smile, "what dialect is said between teenagers, I might give it a shot," the king said much to the disbelief if his friend.

"Sire, I would recommend against it," Colin said in disbelief while being approached by a city guard, "what's going on?" Colin asked the guard.

"No one can enter the City, we have a problem in the Safari Zone, the situation just started moment's ago," the guard told the king and his friend, "I have heard rumors that Team Rocket is back," the guard said with a frown while closing the city entrance.

The king and Colin walked a bit away from the city, "sire, we can't make it into the city until the situation is sorted out," Colin said calmly before a call came in on his X-Transceiver, he picked up the call to see Ash and Salvia on the other end, "Lady Salvia and Ash, how have you been? And where are you?" Colin asked his questions.

"We're doing just fine, we are at the Pokemon Center in Fuchsia City," Salvia and Ash said in unison calmly.

"What? You're in Fuchsia City?" Colin enquired with concern.

"What's the matter Colin?" Ash asked with a frown.

"Ash, there is something happening at the Safari Zone," Colin warned the trainer and the princess.

"Thanks for letting us know," Ash said calmly before ending his side of the call.

Salvia looked into the screen and started to smile, "I am just fine, I learnt how to ride a bicycle today," Salvia said with pride, "I got hurt a bit, but thanks to Ash, I will be fine," Salvia said with praise while Colin listened with intent, "is dad there Colin?" Salvia asked with a frown.

"Yes, he heard every word you just said," Colin retorted calmly as he moved his side of the call to the king, "say hello," Colin told the duo with a cheeky grin.

The king saw his daughter and smiled at her, "so you learnt something new, you learnt how to ride a bike, well done my daughter," Brian said as Salvia looked on in shock at seeing her father wearing something different.

Salvia burst out into laughter at seeing her dad wearing that outfit, "dad, you look ridiculous," Salvia told her dad bluntly, "and thanks for the compliment, I wanted to hear you compliment me," Salvia confessed happily.

"So is the trainer looking after you?" the king asked with hope, his daughter nodded in approval much to his relief, "good, I want you to travel as much as possible, I want to see you grow," the king pointed out calmly, "once we reach Hoenn, I will talk to the king and see if we can come up with a compromise," Brian told his daughter much to her delight.

"Thank you, I am happy that you understand," Salvia said as tears of joy started to roll down her cheeks.

"But if you get into too much danger, I will bring you home," the king said sternly as Salvia nodded yet again, "I will see you soon," the king said as he ended the call.

Salvia sat at the table with a smile on her face, 'I can't believe dad would wear such a ridiculous outfit,' Salvia thought to herself as she took a look at the outfit she was wearing, 'but then again, I can't say anything, I am also wearing less then royal clothes,' Salvia thought as she began to laugh.

Ash walked up to the princess to see what she was laughing at, "hey princess, what are you laughing at?" Ash asked before being pushed on to the ground.

Salvia closed her eyes and turned her head to the trainer, "I will not give up on you being less formal," Salvia said before laying down next to Ash, "it seems like my dad approves of us," Salvia said with a smile as she placed her hand in Ash's, "but he was wearing a ridiculous outfit," Salvia said with a smile.

"Much like you, when we go to another region, how about we get you another outfit?" Ash asked with a grin, "oh and we are going to investigate the situation in the Safari Zone," Ash declared much to the princess's disbelief.

"A new outfit it is, but what about the danger?" Salvia said while standing up.

"Salvia, you're under my care, meaning I will look after you," Ash explained with a smile as he picked himself up.

* * *

**This episode is done with the next one on the way a little later on, I hope you all enjoyed.**

**What will they find in the Safari Zone? What pokemon will they capture? **

**Next time: Episode 21: The Safari Solution.**


	21. The Safari Solution

**Episode 21: The Safari Solution.**

_In this one I will have Ash and Salvia catch a pokemon or two each._

* * *

"Sir everything is going to plan," James told an elderly man with short white hair wearing a scientist jacket, brown trousers and a blue shirt, "we have capture lots of pokemon for the start of our operations," James declared as Jessie walked back into the secret place with a few rocket soldiers, "Doctor Zager, how many more pokemon will we need before we complete our plan?" James asked the scientist as he walked to the window of the building.

"Giovanni, wants you to capture when he tells you that he has enough pokemon," Zager instructed the Rocket forces, "we already have tons of rare pokemon, but still not enough to make our presence known to the world," Zager told the rockets who were standing in a single file, "go out there and capture more pokemon, for the glory of Team Rocket!" Zager yelled out as the forces under his command saluted in perfect unison.

"So James, what pokemon will we be after?" Jessie asked as they walked up to a lake front.

"We will be after the dragon pokemon of the Safari Zone, Dratini and Dragonair," James pointed out as he called out his pokemon, "if we can capture those pokemon, we will have a force of Powerful Dragonites," James explained to his comrades while a Gyrados appeared after James called out his new pokemon.

"Nice thinking James," Meowth said with a proud smile as they began to attack the lakes.

_(Pokemon Center)_

"So Ash did you do your reading homework?" Salvia asked the trainer as he looked at her in shock, Ash looked over to his friends in embarrassment as they started to laugh at him, Salvia started to grin at his friends, "well Ash did you read the book?" Salvia continued to ask while turning her focus back onto the trainer.

"Yeah Ash, did you read the book last night?" Misty asked while still in a fit of laughter.

Ash looked at the ground feeling humiliated at what was happening, 'never thought the princess would take it this far,' Ash thought before getting flicked on the nose. "Hey what was that for?" Ash asked in frustration.

"You called me princess, I didn't have to hear a word, and I just know you were thinking about it," Salvia explained as she started to laugh at her boyfriend, "Ash, I am disappointed in you, how are supposed to get any smarter? If you don't read that book I gave you?" Salvia asked with a frown, as the laughing got heavier.

The laughing started to settle as Ash pulled out the book, "I thought you were joking," Ash confessed with a frown, "but this is wrong, me reading a childrens picture book, a book that only has five or six words on each page," Ash said while everyone around him burst out into a huge fit of laughter, "I am going to the Safari Zone," Ash said while leaving the group with him stomping away.

Salvia followed Ash while his friends started continued to laugh at him, "Ash, I am sorry I embarrassed you like that," Salvia said apologetically while Ash ignored her as he walked towards the Safari Zone, Raichu ran up to the two trainers wanting to follow him around in the Safari Zone, "Ash, I know you're angry at me," Salvia said with a frown as they approached the entrance gate of the Safari Zone.

"It's fine Salvia, I was more upset at the others for laughing at me," Ash explained much to the relief of the royal, "I know I was bad at school, maybe that's the reason why it would be best if you keep tutoring me," Ash said while pulling out his wallet. "As a thank you for teaching me, I will pay for both of us," Ash said while handing the money to the guards.

"What are the rules of this place?" Salvia asked while being handed the Safari Balls.

Ash looked over to the princess and smiled, "rules are simple, we have a certain amount of time, we have thirty Safari Balls that we can use to capture pokemon with," Ash explained with a smirk, "oh that's right one more important rule, we're not allowed to battle with our pokemon," Ash explained with a smile.

Ash and Salvia walked pass the gates and into a large expanse of green fields, with Trees in every direction with pokemon running around in every area of the park, "wow so many pokemon," Salvia said while clasping her hands together.

Ash looked around to see the different pokemon running around, "there seems to be some new pokemon in this Safari Zone," Ash pointed out while point over to a mostly blue pokemon floating around, "Beldums," Ash said with a smile, while turning his gaze over to another blue pokemon moving around, "Heracross, Girafarig, Miltank, Boffulant," Ash called out as he looked around to the different pokemon, "most of these pokemon aren't even native to Kanto," Ash explained while the two trainers looked around to see many more different pokemon.

The two started to walk around to see if they could find different pokemon that they could capture, as the two continued to walk on a large grey pokemon began to charge at Salvia, Ash ran and pushed her away before being hit by the large pokemon, "Ash, what happened?" Salvia asked as she looked back to see the pokemon turing around.

"Odd, Rhyhorn are usually docile pokemon, they usually stick to themselves," Ash explained as the two got back up, "Salvia, throw a Safari Ball at it," Ash requested with a smile.

Salvia pulled out a Safari Ball and threw it at the charging pokemon, the ball tapped the pokemon on the head and it teleported into the confines of the ball, the ball wobbled around for a short time until the pokeball made the sound they were waiting for, "yes, I captured a Rhyhorn," Salvia celebrated as the pokeball disappeared much to her shock, "Ash, where did Rhyhorn go?" Salvia asked the trainer who was standing next to her.

"Since you have six pokemon already, anymore pokemon you catch will be sent straight to Professor Oak's lab," Ash pointed out calmly as Salvia looked to the ground in disappointment, "nothing to worry about, Professor Oak will take care of any extra pokemon you capture," Ash explained much the princess's relief.

Ash and Salvia continued to walk through the Safari Zone looking for more pokemon to capture, "what other pokemon can we capture Ash?" Salvia asked as a Beldum floated pass the two trainers, "Ash, is that a Beldum?" Salvia asked with a smile while Ash pulled out a Safari Ball.

"Yes it is, I haven't that pokemon yet, so now is my chance to capture it," Ash decreed while throwing the pokeball at the iron ball pokemon, the blue pokemon disappeared into the Safari Ball, the green and white ball began to move around causing an anxious wait for the two people watching, the ball finally stopped and signified the capture of the pokemon, Ash watched the Safari Ball disappear in a bright light, "seems like we each have a pokemon," Ash said with a smile as the two started to walk again.

The two continued to walk until Salvia stopped and saw a purple pokemon with a large horn and a blue pokemon with dark blue spots, "Ash, what are those pokemon?" Salvia asked causing the trainer to turn around.

Ash looked at the pokemon with a smile, "those two are Nidorino and Nidorina," Ash pointed to the two respective pokemon, "they are hiding from something," Ash stated while looking around, "Salvia, the reason why we came here is to investigate the situation, "that Belbum didn't float in front of us for no reason," Ash explained while remembering the moment the Rhyhorn charged at them, "not only that, Rhyhorn are very docile pokemon, it wouldn't charge at people for any reason," Ash explained as the princess started to gain a worried look on her face.

"Team Rocket? Or my uncle?" Salvia enquired with uncertainty.

Ash looked at the ground to see a group of footsteps, "Team Rocket, most likely," Ash retorted with confidence, "they are the only ones that would do this stuff," Ash said calmly as the duo followed the footsteps until they reached a shack, Ash watched as members of Team Rocket walked into a building, "they are capturing pokemon," Ash said while creeping up closer to the shack.

Salvia watched as the trainer got closer to the hideout, "Ash, get back here you reckless fool," Salvia silently called over to Ash, but Ash wasn't listening he hid behind a barrel and started to listen in on a conversation.

Ash listened to the conversation while looking around to see a few more members of Team Rocket arriving, "Zager, we have managed to capture a few Dragonairs," a blue haired man said with a confident grin, "this is almost too easy," he said with a smirk as Ash listened in on more of the talks, "so far we have captured almost two hundred different pokemon," James said coolly.

"That's right, we are preparing the cages for transportation," Jessie said calmly as she walked into the shack, to check on the pokemon in the cages, "good, every pokemon we captured in this Safari Zone will be transported to the boss," Jessie said quietly as she walked around to inspect the different pokemon, "very soon, we will be back to our former glory," she said while laughing at the pokemon.

Ash moved quickly towards a nearby bush, and proceeded to followed the tree lined road back to the princess, 'it seems like Team Rocket are taking pokemon,' Ash thought while creeping back towards the young royal, 'whatever is going on here, it could be trouble,' Ash thought while trying to keep his anger in place.

Ash made it back to the princess's side while she watched what was going on, "Ash, what's going on?" Salvia asked with a frown, "all I can see is a lot of Team Rocket members," Salvia pointed out quietly as more members started to appear, "Ash we might need the help of Misty and Cilan as well as my dad and Colin," Salvia pointed out with certainty.

Ash nodded quietly before hearing the cries of a purple Dragonair, it was trying to get away from Team Rocket who were throwing pokeballs at it, "I will not allow it," Ash declared before throwing a Safari Ball at it.

"Ash, you fool, you risk us getting caught," Salvia berated the trainer in anger as the dragon disappeared into the green and white ball, the ball wobbled for a few seconds until the ball disappeared to safety, "okay so you saved a dragon pokemon," Salvia said as they got up and started running away before being spotted by the members of Team Rocket.

"Didn't want it being used by Team Rocket," Ash digressed while running away.

"There they are, get them now!" the rockets yelled out as a powerful attack flew passed the two trainers heads.

They hit the ground as an icy beam flew passed them, "you alright Salvia?" Ash asked with a smile before being pushed away by the royal.

"I would be, if you weren't so reckless!" Salvia told Ash with anger, she pulled out her pokeball, "Dragonite, time to show them what we can do," Salvia called out her pokemon with confidence, a large yellow pokemon stood there ready to take on the foe, "Dragonite, Attack with Flamethrower," Salvia instructed her pokemon quickly. While a powerful beam of ice was fired towards the duo, Dragonite sent out a powerful burst of flames towards the incoming attack, the flames overwhelmed the ice easily and knocked out the pokemon using the attack.

"Alright, Salvia time to get out of here," Ash said while Salvia recalled her pokemon, the two ran through the fields where pokemon were still grazing oblivious to the presence of Team Rocket. The two trainers looked back to see that they lost Team Rocket, "your Dragonite is awesome," Ash complimented the princess.

Salvia glared at the trainer for a moment, "Ash, if you ever do that again! I will go home never to see you again!" Salvia told Ash in anger causing the trainer to look away in guilt.

"Well Salvia, I would have been better for me to capture it, than to be stuck in a cage," Ash argued as the princess walked off ignoring Ash, "Salvia, I am sorry for what I did, but I cannot stand to see pokemon being exploited like this," Ash told the princess calmly.

Salvia looked over her shoulder and glared at the trainer, "then what do we do Ash?" Salvia asked before heading up to the gate of the Safari Zone.

Ash followed the princess to the exit of the preserve and looked to the ground, "we need to help the pokemon, Team Rocket will use them to get what they want," Ash replied with certainty as they walked up to the Pokemon Center where their friends were waiting, "Salvia," Ash called to the young royal with guilt written over his face.

"So you two couldn't wait until we were ready," Misty said with a smile, she watched as the princess walked to her room not talking to Ash, "Cilan, what's going on? Those two were talking earlier today, even laughing," Misty enquired with a frown as Ash walked into the building, he looked around to see the medical facility filled with people from all over the region, "Ash, what happened?" Misty asked as Ash walked passed her.

"It seems like those two had an argument," Cilan stated while watching Ash walk up to the phone.

Ash pressed in the numbers to make his call, after the phone rang up a woman with shoulder length brown hair appeared on the screen, "hello mom, sorry I haven't called you in a while," Ash said apologetically.

Delia smiled at her son, "Ash, how have you been? Are you changing your underwear everyday? Are you looking after the princess?" Delia started to barrage her son with questions.

"Mom, I did something stupid today and Salvia isn't talking to me," Ash said with a saddened expression, "Team Rocket were catching pokemon, I saved a Dragonair and we got spotted by members of Team Rocket," Ash said as shame started to appear on his face.

"Ash, that was very reckless of you, yes I know you caught a pokemon to save it, but you put yourself and the princess in unnecessary danger," Delia berated her son as he looked away in shame, "you need to make it up to her, if you want to keep her," Delia advised Ash with a sigh.

Ash started to smile and nodded at his mother, "thanks for the advice mom, I guess I was being stupid, but that is what I do," Ash said while looking back to see his friends standing there, "mom, I am going to talk to her again," Ash said with a smile before closing off the call.

"Ash, why not go back into the Safari Zone?" Misty asked with a smile, "we will go with you to help the pokemon Team Rocket have taken," Misty declared quietly, Ash stood up and ran to the hall way of the full Pokemon Center, "Cilan, what is Ash doing?" Misty asked the pokemon connoisseur.

Cilan shrugged his shoulders and waited for Ash to make it back with the princess, "it seems like Ash wants to make it up to the princess, after all he did put them in danger," Cilan stated with confidence.

Ash made it to the room of the princess and knocked on the door, he opened the door and started hearing another song echo though the walls of the room, 'it can't be, this beautiful voice belongs to the princess,' Ash thought as he approached the royal who was looking out the window, "Salvia, that was beautiful," Ash expressed his joy as the princess turned around in shock with her face starting to turn a little red, "what's the song about?" Ash asked with a smile before the princess turned around to look out the window again.

"Ash, I am sorry that I yelled at you," Salvia said apologetically as sounds of crying came from her, "that song I was singing, it was about you," Salvia confessed as a sudden silence filled the room, Ash sat down on the bed and started to think about what the he heard, "Ash, sometimes it's better not to get caught," Salvia told Ash as she walked over to the bed, "putting yourself and everyone around you in danger could cause you to lose your friends," Salvia explained as the trainer closed his eyes and started to ponder again.

"I know, I didn't know Team Rocket would begin chasing us," Ash admitted solemnly as he looked up to see Salvia sitting there, he looked away but the princess placed her hand on the left side of his face, she turned his face and looked into his eyes, "Salvia, I am sorry for placing you in such danger," Ash said quietly.

"It's fine Ash, but we need to make sure we have other people backing us up," Salvia said sweetly as the trainer took her hand, the two looked into each others eyes failing to realize their friends were standing outside the princess's room, "next time, we will have the help we need to save the pokemon," Salvia told Ash before standing up.

Misty, Cilan and Raichu ran away from the room knowing that if they got caught it would mean trouble for them, "much better, it seems Salvia has forgiven Ash," Cilan said with a smile before heading out into the main foyer. "Those two exude an amazing aroma, they complement each others strengths and weakness better than anyone I have ever seen before," Cilan stated with a smile as Misty followed close behind.

Misty looked around the Pokemon Center to see the people were slowly leaving, "why did Salvia forgive Ash?" Misty asked quietly as she sat down to have a cup of tea.

Cilan gazed at the red head and smiled at her, "isn't it obvious, they love each other," Cilan knowingly said with a smile, "we pokemon connoisseurs have this terms we like using, that term is called Premium Brand," Cilan explained quietly as he watched Ash and Salvia walking out of the hallway, "when the connection between people or pokemon is strong enough, they become a premium brand," Cilan eloquently stated with confidence while watching the couple walking up to the table, "so what are you two going to do at the Safari Zone?" Cilan asked Ash and Salvia.

The couple looked at each other again, they nodded confidently, "we're all going in to stop Team Rocket," Ash and Salvia said in unison.

"And we will help too," the king said as everyone turned around to see a man dressed in a black jacket with a white shirt and Blue jeans. Upon seeing this Ash, Misty, Cilan and Raichu burst out into laughter, "what are you all laughing at?" the king asked as the friends continued to laugh at Salvia's father, "we sneak into the city and I get laughed at by Salvia's boyfriend and his friends," the king said with a sigh before heading out of the building with a shameful look on his face.

"Colin, you do know King Brian looks ridiculous in that outfit?" Ash asked while recovering from the fit of laughter.

Colin sighed for a moment and started to laugh, "I have already told him that, I asked him to get a suit, not an outfit you normally see teenagers wear," Colin explained while hitting his forehead, "so Ash, have you looked after the princess since we last met?" Colin asked with hope.

Ash and Salvia turned their heads and smiled at one another, "yes Colin, Ash has looked after me, but we found out what Team Rocket are doing in the Safari Zone," Salvia said with concern etched on her face, "they are capturing pokemon to build their army," Salvia explained with sadness.

Colin and the rest of the friends walked out of the medical facility to leave Ash and Salvia alone for a moment, they walked up to the phone to ring up the professor, "Professor Oak, I need to get a couple of pokemon," Ash said calmly as he placed a pokeball on to the teleportation device, "can you please send over Gengar?" Ash requested.

The professor placed a pokeball on the device and sent the ghost types pokeball to its trainer, "now young lady, are you the one that sent me a Rhyhorn?" the professor asked as he turned the view around.

The princess chuckled nervously as she nodded, "that was me, I will be sending you Clefairy, in exchange for my new Rhyhorn," Salvia declared with a smile as she followed what Ash did before her, she waited for the next pokeball to appear, "thanks professor," Salvia said thankfully as she took the green and white device.

The two walked out of the Pokemon Center to find that everyone was waiting for them, their Raichus stood there happily as the princess's electric mouse continued to hold the paw of Ash's Raichu, "alright time to stop Team Rocket," Ash declared with vigor as the group walked up to the Safari entrance.

After walking up to the entrance the king and Colin walked in first followed by Ash and Salvia, Misty and Cilan entered last to join the group in the Safari Zone, "alright we will split up and meet at the end of the Safari Zone," Salvia told the group calmly, "the reason for that is so we aren't seen in a large group, I will go with Ash and Colin," Salvia said with certainty while walking up to the trainer and the her friend at the palace, "my dad will go with Misty and Cilan," Salvia declared before heading off in the opposite direction with Ash and Colin.

_(30 minutes later)_

"Alright, we will head down back to rescue the pokemon," the king said quietly as Ash took a quick look to see what Team Rocket was doing, "Misty, Cilan, Colin and me will be the ones to help the pokemon, while Ash and Salvia will keep them busy," The king pointed out the plan while getting ready to walk around back with the others, "if it gets too dangerous we will pull back," Brian told the group calmly, they all nodded in response and moved out while Ash and Salvia stayed put, "please be careful."

Ash walked up to the door of the building and knocked on the door, "Garchomp, I choose you," Ash called for one of his pokemon with confidence, Ash waited for the door to open to find that the trainer is there, "hello, I am here to stop you from taking to pokemon to your boss," Ash said with a cheeky smile.

Jesse and James appeared from the house with the rockets, Salvia took the chance to run up to Ash and stand by his side, "so you came back, after you stole a Dragonair from us," Jesse said in anger as she pulled out one of her pokeballs, "Go Arbok," Jessie called out large purple serpent with red and yellow markings on its hood.

"Yeah, especially one that is a different color," James stated in anger, "Wheezing go," James called for a two headed pokemon.

"Ninetails, it's time to shine," Salvia called out her pokemon for the battle against Team Rocket.

Ash turned his focus to Salvia and dipped his head to signify the beginning of the plan, Misty and Cilan first entered the shack and allowed the royal duo in as the battle began outside, the king peered outside the window to see Ash and his daughter holding off the members of Team Rocket, 'wow, my daughter is strong,' the king thought as he looked around the back of the hideout.

Colin looked around until he found a group of cages with small purple pokemon inside, "Male Nidoran," Colin pointed over to the scared pokemon, "Cilan, do you have any pokemon that can help us?" Colin asked the green haired man with hope.

"Simisage, help us out," Cilan called for his mostly green pokemon silently, "use Bullet Seed to open these cage doors," Cilan instructed his pokemon. While the monkey like pokemon attack the cage doors a loud explosion ripped through the area.

King Brian turned around to see Ash and Salvia falling back from the onslaught of Team Rocket, "Latios, the emblem of my family," Brian called out his grey and blue legendary pokemon, "help them out Latios," Brian commanded seriously, the pokemon flew out of the hideout and started to help Ash and Salvia out in the battle, 'now time to rescue these pokemon,' Brian thought while turning his attention to the job at hand, he continued to look around as the sounds of the battle started to intensify and become more frequent.

While the pokemon rescue was occurring Ash and Salvia were fighting off Team Rocket with only Jessie and James remaining in the battle, Ash recalled his tired Garchomp and looked over to the princess, "Lucario, I choose you," Ash called out the aura pokemon to battle the remaining rockets.

Salvia followed Ash's example and recalled her Ninetails, "Dragonite, time to shine," Salvia called for her starter pokemon with confidence.

"Doesn't matter, we have already succeeded, so beating you two and that legendary pokemon is a piece of cake," James declared with a confident look on his face, James turned to his ally and got ready to team up against Ash and Salvia, "Wheezing, attack with Sludge Bomb," James issued his command while Jessie waited for the attack to start, the poison type pokemon sent out a ball of putrid waste towards the dragon type pokemon.

"Lucario, stop the attack," Ash commanded as the aura pokemon got between the poison type attack and the dragon type pokemon. Lucario shrugged off the attack like it was nothing, "now Lucario, attack Arbok with Bone Rush, " Ash instructed the fighting type pokemon confidently, Lucario put its hands side by side and formed a bone to attack the snake pokemon with.

Lucario charged towards Arbok with a glowing white bone before hitting it more with a sudden burst of attacks, while Salvia stood next to her Dragonite with a determined look on her face, "Dragonite, attack with Dragon Claw," Salvia instructed her pokemon with vigor. The dragon type pokemon charged towards the gas pokemon with glowing white claws.

"Smokescreen," James ordered his pokemon, the gas pokemon unleashed a dark haze over the battlefield preventing Ash and Salvia from seeing what was going to happen next.

"End this battle with Poison Tail," Jessie ordered the snake pokemon with confidence.

Ash watched as the snake pokemon edged closer to Dragonite, the dragon type pushed the attacker aside only for the attack to move towards its trainer, 'no Salvia,' Ash thought as he ran towards her, "Salvia, look out!" Ash yelled out as he pushed her aside taking the brunt of the attack.

Salvia watched as the trainer collapsed in front of her, she looked on in horror as the smoke cleared with Team Rocket leaving the scene. Salvia looked down to see Ash was still on the ground, she fell on to her knees to see if Ash was okay, "Ash, you saved me again," Salvia said with a smile, she placed her hand on the trainers head and quickly moved it off, "Ash, you're burning up," Salvia said with a frown.

"We only rescued the weak pokemon, it seems like they transported the much stronger and rarer ones," Cilan pointed out before spotting his friend on the grass in front of the young royal, "what happened?" Cilan asked quietly while approaching the trainer and the princess.

"He took a Poison Tail in my place," Salvia stated while she started to cry, "we didn't know it was coming, they used Smokescreen to block our view," Salvia stated as Ash started to slowly get up, "no Ash, stay there, Dragonite please help me save Ash," she said while her dragon pokemon picked Ash allowing Salvia on its back, 'this time I will save you Ash,' Salvia thought as the Dragonite left the scene.

Cilan, Misty, Raichu, Colin and the king watched the dragon type leave the scene, "I will go and see Ash personally," the king declared while calling over his Latios, he climbed on and flew off as the last four looked at the ground in disappointment at what had happened, 'I can't believe we lost that battle,' the king thought with shame, 'not only that, Ash got hurt while protecting my daughter,' the king thought as his pokemon flew across the sky towards the city.

Meanwhile Cilan looked at his friends and frowned, "we better make sure Ash will be alright," Cilan stated as the others agree with him, "I know of a friend who can help us, so I will ring her to get her assistance," Cilan said while the remaining group walked out solemnly .

_(At the Hospital)_

Ash was resting on the bed still feeling the effects of the poison from the attack he took in the princess's place, Salvia looked at Ash with guilt written all over her face, "my prince I should have kept my guard up," Salvia said while starting to cry without noticing that her father watching from behind the door, "I will save you Ash," Salvia promised as the trainer lifted his hand up slowly, he wiped away her tears and smiled at the young royal, "Ash," Salvia called out as the hand dropped back onto the bed.

Ash chuckled slightly before closing his eyes, "I will be fine, I have had worse than this," Ash confessed silently before going to sleep.

The nurse walked in and smiled at the princess, "he will be fine, but he needs some special medicine," the doctor said calmly as the other three made it back to the hospital.

Salvia looked down at Ash in the hospital bed, "now is my turn," Salvia repeated over and over again knowing it was her chance to return the favor to Ash.

* * *

**Ash is in bad shape as the battle ends in defeat at the Safari Zone, the princess is determined to save Ash to return the favor.**

**Will Salvia find the medicine Ash needs? **

**Next time: Now it's my Turn.**

_Salvia's team: Dragonite, Rhyhorn, Ninetails, Raichu, Eevee and Seel._

_Ash's Team: Gengar, Lucario, Raichu, Emboar, Krookodile and Garchomp._

_please review the story and thanks for reading the story, favoriting and putting it in your alerts, I really appreciate it._


	22. Now it's my Turn

**Episode 22: Now it's my Turn.**

_The episode will focus mainly on Salvia's mission to help Ash._

_Hilda: 17_

_Iris: 15_

* * *

Ash was in bed still affected by the poison from the attack he took in place of the princess, she was sitting next to his bed watching the progress of the trainer while Colin, the king , Misty and Cilan shopped around for medicine for Ash, Salvia walked to a basin in the room and placed a cloth under a tap, after drying out the cloth she walked back to the bed to place it on the trainers head, she looked down in sadness as memories of the defeat flooded back into her mind.

"Ash, why did you help me?" Salvia asked while the trainer rested there not responding to the question.

The doors flung open as four familiar people walked into the room with their heads bowed in shame, "sorry my daughter, we couldn't find the medicine to help him," Brian said with a frown.

Salvia looked down again and clenched her fists in frustration, "surely there is something we can do," Salvia said as her anger started to build, "come on there has to be someone that knows about medicine," Salvia said not wanting to give up on Ash.

Cilan clicked his fingers up hearing the idea, "that's it, I do know someone who can help Ash, but she lives all the way in the Unova Region, but she can give us the recipe for the medicine Ash needs," CIlan said with a renewed smile.

Salvia turned around to see Ash still in bed, she smiled at him, "you see, I will not give up on you Ash," Salvia said silently as she followed the green haired man to the phone.

Cilan pressed in the numbers and waited for a person to pick up, "Iris, nice to see you again," Cilan said with a grin while a young lady with long bushy purple hair, wearing a cream colored cardigan and a pink dress appeared on the screen, "Iris, we have a situation that requires one of your medicinal recipes," Cilan stated as the dragon master listened with intent.

"Cilan, what's happened?" Iris asked with a frown as she grabbed out her book.

"Ash was hit by a poison attack and is badly poisoned," CIlan pointed out much to the disbelief of Iris.

"What? Ash is hurt?" Iris asked in shock as she read through the book to find the recipe needed to help Ash out, "alright write this down, you need two Pecha Berries, Two Oran Berries, Two Rawst Berries to reduce the fever, cure the poison and to replace stamina," Iris started much to the relief of Salvia, "but you need a special herb, sadly it's rare and can only be found in certain areas of each region, this one says it can only be found in the Safari Zone of the Kanto region," Iris explained as she showed a purple and red flower to Cilan.

"Alright we will gather the ingrdients," Cilan said while finishing the notes he needed, Salvia took the chance to grab the sheet of paper and ran off on her own, "Salvia, what are you doing?" Cilan asked while forgetting that Iris was on the other end.

"Idiots, I needed to tell them what they needed to do once they grabbed the ingredients," Iris said to herself before closing off the call, "I am sure they will ring back once they got them," Iris told herself as she waited at the Pokemon Center for her pokemon to be healed.

Cilan continued to chase Salvia but was soon at a loss to find her, "great, what is she thinking?" Cilan asked as he walked back to the waiting room.

As Salvia ran out of the hospital with the notes she needed a small pink pokemon with a long tail was watching from a tree across the street, sitting there before starting to move towards the princess silently, it moved without being noticed by anyone watching Salvia run through the city with the paper in her hand.

"I will save you this time Ash," Salvia said while running to the exit of the city. She walked out of the gate and up to a small tree filled with small blue berries, she walked up to it and extended her hand, suddenly a small blue aura surrounded two of the berries and slowly brought them down to her, "that was a psychic ability," Salvia told herself before turning around to find no one was standing there, "odd, I thought there was someone there," Salvia wondered before restarting her walk.

Mew appeared from behind a tree to watch the royal walking away from the Oran Berry tree, it started floating towards the princess silently while keeping its distance and making sure it wasn't spotted by anyone.

Salvia continued to dawdle through the road on her own while trying to look for the next lot of berries she needed to help save Ash, she looked around until she found another tree full of berries, "no those aren't Pecha Berries," Salvia said as she approached them, she took the chance to sit down under the tree to take a quick break from finding the berries she needed.

Meanwhile in the hospital Cilan, Misty, Brian and Colin were sitting down in the waiting room making sure to check up on the trainer who was still bed ridden, "so my daughter is out on her own looking for the berries required?" Brian asked while turning his gaze to the trainer, "it seems he has influenced my daughter to care for people important to her, Ash is important to her," the king said with a smile.

Misty walked up to the room where Ash was sleeping soundly, 'you're as reckless as ever,' Misty thought while taking the cloth off of the trainers head, she walked up to the basin and turned the tap and placed the cloth under the water, 'wouldn't want anything to happen to you Ash,' Misty thought as she drying out the cloth of excess water, she turned the tap off and walked back to the bed and placed it on Ash.

"My friend in the Unova region has amazing knowledge on medicine, she is also the dragon master of the region," Cilan said with a proud look on his face.

While out on the road Salvia stood up and was taken by surprise when a small pink pokemon appeared in front of her, she pulled out her pokedex to gather information on the small pokemon, she pointed it out but the pokemon was gone, "what was that pokemon?" Salvia asked as she looked around to try and find it again, "then again there are pokemon that are legendary to each region, I have seen many pokemon in this region but not that one," Salvia said as she started walking again.

Mew looked on from a distance watching the princess as she searched for the remaining berries she needed, Mew watched as Salvia eventually found a tree with small green berries, the small pokemon's eyes started to glow blue as the berries started to float down to the princess but suddenly the berries started to move away from the princess, Mew started to laugh a little as it continued to use its psychic abilities to move the berries away.

"Come on let me have these berries, I need them to help someone important to me," Salvia said as she chased after the Rawst Berries, Salvia continued to run after the berries as Mew continued to play with her, Salvia collapsed onto the ground panting from the chasing she was needing to do. Salvia looked up to see the berries drop down in front of her, "that's odd, a moment ago, these berries didn't stay in one spot," Salvia said as she extended her hand out to grab them.

Salvia took the berries and placed them in her bag, Mew looked on to see the princess walking to yet another tree on the other side of the road, Mew followed the princess quietly and hid behind the trees to make sure it wasn't spotted by the princess again, it watched as Salvia extended her hand out to take some Pecha Berries.

The princess took one of the berries and placed it in her bag, "alright now I need to get one more berry," Salvia said while grabbing another Pecha Berry, she picked the berry and placed it in her bag, "yes I finally got all the berries I need to help Ash," Salvia said as she walked back to the city.

Mew watched as the young royal ran back to the city, it followed her from a safe distance.

Salvia made it back to the city and then turned her focus back to the Safari Zone, as Salvia started walking to the Safari Zone Mew appeared in front of her again this time taking her bag full of berries, "hey get back here with those berries!" Salvia yelled as the people of the city looked at her in curiosity, Salvia followed the psychic pokemon to get the berries back and to find the last part of the medicine, "that little pokemon went to the Safari Zone," Salvia told herself as she ran towards that direction.

_(10 Minutes later)_

Salvia followed the trail to entrance of the Safari Zone; she walked up to the guards, she paid the money to get in again to try and find the herb she need to make the medicine, "come on out little pokemon, I won't hurt you," Salvia said while trying to find the pokemon.

She looked around to search for her bag, the pokemon in the reserve were grazing all over the place, "hey look at these nice pokemon," a mysterious man said while throwing a safari ball at the pokemon, "our client will pay a high price for these ones," the man said in a hunters suit.

Salvia watched as three men and a young woman walked away from a utility vehicle to search for more pokemon, "what's going on?" Salvia asked as a small green pokemon ran up to her, "hey, are you alright?" Salvia asked the small pokemon, she pulled out her pokedex and scanned the small pokemon, "so you're a Lavitar," Salvia said while watching the men capture more pokemon, the pokemon hid behind her in fear as the men yelled at the pokemon to bring them into a small area, "this is horrible," Salvia said while closing her eyes.

"What, you lost one Lavitar, our client has paid a high price for that pokemon!" the leader yelled at his fellow workers, "find it now, also one of our clients wants us to find a rare herb, it has a red and purple flower on it," the man said with a smirk as he looked over to one of his men, "you, go out and find that herb," he directed calmly as he threw out more pokeballs.

"I have heard about people like this in my studies," Salvia said as the small pink pokemon appeared next to her, holding her bag, "I need that bag," Salvia told the pokemon as it dropped the bag on her lap, the small pokemon pointed to the poachers while watching them capture more pokemon, "you brought me here to stop them, what can I do, I cannot even save the one most important to me," Salvia digressed with a frown as the small green pokemon looked up at the princess.

The trio watched as more pokemon we being captured, "alright, we have almost caught our quota," he said while looking over to the bush spotting Salvia, Lavitar and Mew, "seems like we have a witness and two pokemon, even a legendary pokemon," the man said while calling out one of his pokemon, "Fearow, use Drill Peck," the man ordered a large brown flying pokemon.

The flying pokemon flew towards the princess with its spinning beak, "we were spotted, Dragonite let's go," Salvia called out her starter pokemon, "Dragonite, attack with Dragon Claw," Salvia commanded with confidence.

The two pokemon charge at one another before landing their attacks , Fearow flew back with incredible force knocking the utility to the ground, "she has a rare pokemon, a Dragonite this one will be a tough on to beat," the opposing trainer said with a smile.

"That's right people like this are considered poachers," Salvia remembered as she got ready to call for the next attack, she looked over to see a man approaching his boss, 'a red and purple flower, that must be the herb,' Salvia thought as the herb was handed over to the boss.

"Now to get rid of the witness, everyone attack her," the bossed ordered his men calmly, "but make sure Dragonite is defeated first, it would make a perfect auction pokemon to make us rich, also I want the capture of Mew, it would also fetch a high price," he decreed with certainty.

The three other men called out their pokemon to battle Salvia, she looked on to find that she was surrounded by the poachers, "Rhyhorn, Ninetails and Raichu, time to show these guys what we can do," Salvia called out her pokemon to stand by her Dragonite.

"Interesting she seems to have a fair few pokemon that would get a high price," the leader said quietly while stroking his chin.

"I need that herb," Salvia said in anger as she got ready to battle the foes surrounding her.

The leader burst out into laughter as she showed the young royal the herb, "you want this herb?" the poacher enquired with a smirk, "how about we make a trade, your four pokemon for this herb?" the man proposed with a smile as he pointed to all of Salvia's pokemon.

Salvia looked at her pokemon with a shocked expression on her face, "I can't do that, these pokemon have given me special memories so far," Salvia directed as the men gave their orders to attack Salvia's pokemon, "Raichu, Thunderbolt now, Ninetails use Shadow Ball, Rhyhorn attack with Rock Tomb and Dragonite use Dragon Claw," Salvia told her four pokemon to attack the incoming attackers.

"Then how about you give us your Dragonite, simple it's obvious you need this herb and we want to make money," the man said while trying to strike a deal.

Salvia looked at her stongest pokemon and remembered the day she got her starter pokemon, 'Ash, helped me catch Dratini, it was thanks to him it evolved to Dragonair, it was because I stood up to my dad that it evolved into Dragonite,' Salvia thought as memories built up about her journey so far, 'what should I do?' Salvia asked herself as an idea started to come up, 'those cages aren't electrified, so if I let Dragonite get taken I can get the herb and double cross them at the same time,' Salvia thought as she signaled over to her dragon pokemon.

"What do you say?" the man said with a smirk, "this special herb for your precious Dragonite," he said while waiting for the princess to make up her mind.

"Dragonite, I have a plan, the only way to save Ash is to fall for the obvious trap, the small pink pokemon will use whatever powers it has to stop the truck and I will save you," Salvia whispered to her dragon pokemon quietly, Dragonite nodded in approval as the two got ready to walk up to the poachers, Mew vanished from the area ready to start the plan.

Salvia made it to the middle of the battlefield and recalled Dragonite, "here is the herb I agreed to give you," the man said while handing over the small green herb with the red and purple flower, "now hand over Dragonite," the man demanded as Salvia took a step back, "what, I have a sense of honor, I gave you the herbs," the leader said with anger as Salvia's pokemon stepped between their trainer and the poachers.

Salvia smirked at the men as she pulled out Dragonite's pokeball, "well, let's just say you're easily fooled," Salvia said with rising confidence, "you all thought that I would hand over a pokemon that was given to me by someone important to me," Salvia said while calling out her dragon again, "plus this herb is a fake," Salvia said calmly as she pulled the fabric apart, "honestly if you intend to make fakes of items try to make them look or feel more authentic," Salvia lectured the men as they started to get angrier at the princess's words.

"Forget it, men time to get out of here," the leader said as they recalled their respective pokemon and climbed into the utility, "there is nothing you can do," he said before starting the ute and slowly driving away.

"Now little friend," Salvia called for the small pokemon, it appeared and used its psychic powers to stop the vehicle, "Rhyhorn, use Horn Attack on the vehicle," Salvia instructed the gray rocky pokemon to attack the utility. Rhyhorn charged at the stationary vehicle to prevent it from going anywhere, the attack made contact forcing the car onto its side, after the attack Salvia walked up to the car quietly and instructed Rhyhorn to push it back onto its wheels, "now give me the herb or I will tell my Rhyhorn to destroy this car," Salvia told the men as they looked at her in fear.

One of the men handed the herb to the princess as the watched the angry ground type getting ready to charge at them, "now leave us alone," the men said in unison as they tried to restart the car. Salvia instructed the small pokemon to use its abilities to give her the sack of pokeballs containing the captive pokemon.

Salvia took a sniff of the flower to confirm that the herb was real, "good, but your car is totally wrecked, too bad you only brought it on yourselves," Salvia pointed out with a grin before walking away. Salvia walked away with the green pokemon following her, it ran in front of her and stopped her before she got away, "you want to be caught by me?" Salvia asked the Lavitar as the small pokemon nodded with a smile. Salvia grabbed a safari ball and threw it at the small pokemon, the ball trembled once and sounded the noise she wanted to hear, "yes I caught Lavitar," Salvia said in celebration before the ball disappeared to the professors place.

Salvia looked over her shoulder to see if Mew was around, "odd that small pokemon isn't here," Salvia said while looking at the rest of her team, she recalled them and proceeded to walk out of the Safari Zone, she almost made when she spotted another lot of herbs, she walked up to them and picked another in case it was needed, "well it all could have been avoided if I looked at the gate entrance

Salvia took the chance and released all the pokemon captured by the poachers back into the wild, they all looked back to see the princess smiling at them, they nodded before leaving to back into the wild. Salvia turned back and left the Safari Zone yet again, she placed the herb into the bag filled with the berries she needed to save Ash. "Ash, just wait there, I will be there to help you, because it's my turn," Salvia said as she looked back at the Safari Zone again.

While Salvia was walking back to the hospital the small pink pokemon started watching from a safe distance, it smiled at her before flying off towards the hospital.

Meanwhile in the Safari Zone the men that Salvia confronted jumped out of the utility, "that little girl, cost us a lot of money!" the boss said while pounding the ground.

Chris walked up to the four men with a dark smirk on his face, the men looked up to him as he stood there with Alex next to him. "That's too bad, how much was it you were going to make?" Chris asked the poachers coolly.

"We were going to make millions, but no thanks to that little girl, we won't be having dinner!" the leader retorted in anger as Chris knelt down in front of them.

"In other words you were outsmarted by my niece and you were going to make a few million," Chris scoffed at the four men loudly as Alex laughed at them. "You four are better than that, I have a mission I want you to complete, your rewards simple a region to call your own," Chris proposed as the men stood up with a smile, "well that was quick wasn't it Alex?" Chris smirked at his friend while he nodded with a shadowy smile.

"What do you want us to do?" the leader asked promptly.

"First I want to know your name, I am Chris the future king of Sinnoh," Chris introduced himself calmly.

The men walked up into a single file, "I am Shane, your majesty," the leader introduced himself to Chris and Alex.

"My name is Grant, and this is my brother Simon, sadly he cannot talk," Grant said while pointing to his left side as a young lady stood front and center, she pushed Grant aside, "hey Hilda, what are you doing?" the man asked the brunette who was wearing a white blouse, black vest, denim shorts and white boots.

"My name is Hilda White," she introduced herself calmly.

'There is something not right about her,' Chris thought as he looked at the young woman, "good, now I know your names, my first mission for you is to seek and capture Zapdos," Chris instructed before walking away, "Alex, I want you to keep an eye on that Hilda White, there is something not right about her," Chris whispered to his personal guard quietly as he walked away.

'Zapdos ha? Well it seems N was right Chris is making his big move, I wonder how Hilbert is going,' Hilda wondered as she walked up to her boss, "sir are you alright?" Hilda asked her boss as she as she helped him up, 'she talked about Ash, does she know one of my friends?' Hilda wondered as she looked to the distance, 'well there is only one way to find out,' Hilda thought to herself as she followed her boss to a secret location.

At the hospital Cilan was on the phone listening to the instructions of Iris, "now use the remaining hot water to turn the bit of paste into a liquid," Iris told her friend, she watched as Cilan mixed the medicine with everyone watching with great intent, "now place it in a small cup," Iris instructed quietly as Misty handed over to item to the green hair man, "lastly wait for it to cool down a little," Iris said calmly before a man with a white beard appeared from behind. "Drayden, what are you doing here?" Iris asked the mayor of her city calmly.

"Young Iris, you have another challenger for the Master's Challenge," Drayden told the young person.

Iris looked back at her friends and smiled, "well, it seems like I will be busy for a while, Cilan you need to administer the medicine in five minutes," Iris sent the final instructions before ending the call.

"So my daughter it seems like you completed your mission," Brian said with a proud look.

Salvia looked back to the bed ridden trainer and smiled, "I had help, it was a small pink pokemon with a long tail, large blue eyes and it was so cute," Salvia said with a great emphasize on cute.

The group looked at the princess in shock at what she was describing, "you mean you saw the legendary Mew?" Misty asked in amazement.

"Mew, is that what it's called?" Salvia asked the group causing them to all nod in unison, "it even helped me stop a group of poachers, three men, but the odd one out was a young woman with long brown hair," Salvia said calmly, "she was wearing what I am wearing right now," Salvia pointed out while everyone looked at her outfit.

Cilan placed his hand on his chin and smiled, "it seems, Hilda, Hilbert and N Harmonia are in this region," Cilan stated, "the woman you saw was Hilda White," Cilan pointed out calmly.

"Wait a second did you just say Harmonia?" Brian asked the green haired man calmly, "if so, Colin we need to go now, it seems my brother is a bigger threat than we anticipated," Brian stated quickly as he and his guard started to leave the area, "Salvia, please stay safe and…" the king started with a chuckle, "look after Ash," the king ordered his daughter before leaving.

Cilan walked up to Ash with the medicine and got ready to administer the medicine, "no, this is my job," Salvia said before taking the cup and pushing Cilan out of the way, "come on Ash time for you to take your medicine," Salvia said sweetly while opening Ash's mouth and forcing the medicine down, 'please get well,' Salvia thought as she took a seat next to the bed.

Cilan and Misty walked up to the door and looked over to Salvia, "Salvia, we need to let Ash have his sleep," Misty told the bluenette calmly but Salvia refused to leave.

"No Misty, Ash wouldn't leave my side when I needed him, I am not about to leave his side when he needs me," Salvia said stubbornly.

"Come on Misty, let's leave those two alone," Cilan instructed the gym leader quietly before leaving the room, Misty followed Cilan and looked back without saying a single word, "we need to get Ash some food, when he wakes up he will be hungry," Cilan said with a chuckle while Misty closed the door behind them.

Salvia stood up and looked down at Ash, "thanks for saving me earlier," Salvia said appreciatively before bending down to gently kiss Ash on the lips, she stood up again and smiled at the her hero, 'well my prince, it seems you will be just fine,' the princess thought as she turned around. Salvia walked to the window to let some air in when Mew appeared in front of her, "Mew, thanks for helping me today," Salvia said while bowing to the pokemon.

Mew smiled at the princess before chasing its tail in the air causing the princess to laugh at the act, she watched as the pokemon flew off to a tree after leaving a small gift, "thank you Mew," Salvia said as she walked up to bedside and sat in the seat, Salvia rested her head on the bed and started to fall asleep next to Ash.

* * *

**Okay the next episode is down and out, I hope you all enjoyed this Salvia dedicated episode, I have introduced a couple of important characters with a few more coming in future episodes. There will be a recurring pokemon (Mew) and another one set to come very soon.**

**What gift did Salvia get from Mew? And what role will the mirage pokemon play as the story progresses**

**Next time Episode 23: Shattered Ice PT1**


	23. Shattered Ice PT1

**Episode 23: Shattered Ice PT1**

_This episode will take part the morning after Salvia's mission, Ash will meet an old friend in this episode, as well as starting the final battle against Chris in the Kanto Region._

* * *

Salvia was sleeping with her head resting next to Ash who was beginning to stir after a long night's sleep and taking in some medicine made by Cilan. The trainer opened his eyes and looked up, he placed his hands on his forehead and began to smile, 'wow I feel so much better,' Ash thought to himself before looking to his left to see his RaIchu sleeping at the other end of the bed, "this bitter taste, must have been on of Iris' medicines," Ash told himself as he recognized the after taste in his mouth.

Ash placed his hand to the right only to find out someone was sleeping next to him, Ash got up slowly and saw Salvia sleeping, 'must have been there all night,' Ash thought as he started to pet Salvia's long blue hair.

Salvia started to waken from her slumber, 'someone is patting my haead,' Salvia thought as she started to lift her head. The young royal opened her eyes and looked up with a smile on her face, her eyes glued to Ash's she moved quickly to embrace the trainer, "Ash, I was so worried for you," Salvia declared while pushing Ash back onto the bed.

"Salvia, I am glad you're alright," Ash proclaimed as he returned the embrace, "whoever gave me that medicine should be thrown out the window," Ash said with laughter while getting up.

Salvia pulled back from the hug and pushed him back down on to the bed, "you idiot, it was me who gave you that medicine, I searched for the berries and the herbs to heal you from the poisoning," Salvia explained while glaring at the trainer, "I had to fight a group of poachers to get the herbs," Salvia professed much to the trainers surprise.

"All that for me?" Ash asked as he got back up, "well I better retract my comment," Ash said with laughter while pushing the blankets aside, "even for some disgusting medicine," Ash said while getting out of the bed, he walked towards the window and looked out to see a storm brewing on the horizon, "well, at least you're safe, your dad would be pretty angry if I failed to protect you," Ash said happily.

Salvia ran up to Ash and placed her arms around him, she rested her head on his back, "don't do anything to make me worry again," Salvia instructed Ash.

"I still can't believe you fought off a group of poachers to save me," Ash said while looking out the window.

"It was odd Ash, there was this young woman with long brown hair, she was wearing the same attire as me," Salvia said quietly while Ash looked out the window in shock, "Ash, I also had help from Mew," Salvia explained as Ash's mouth almost hit the floor.

"A young woman with long brown hair, why would she associate herself with poachers?" Ash asked with a frown.

Salvia let go to allow Ash to walk towards the room entrance, "Ash you know her?" Salvia asked calmly.

"Yeah I know her, she is a good friend of mine from Unova, apart from Dawn she was also one of the girls I was interested in," Ash confessed with a cynical smile, "but I was turned down in favor of another friend from Unova, Hilbert Black a powerful trainer much like myself," Ash pointed out much to the princess's relief, "Hilda, is a fantastic actress as well, we are also N Harmonia's first friends in this world," Ash explained with a proud smile.

"So you say Hilda White is a great actress, does this mean that her association with these poachers is nothing but an act?" Salvia asked with a serious look on her face.

"Hilbert, Hilda and myself are the only people N trusts at the moment, a couple of years ago he left the Unova region to do some soul searching," Ash said calmly as he started to open the door, "also Hilda being with these poachers is most likely a way to find N, meaning that something serious has happened in the Unova region that has caused those two to come here to Kanto," Ash pointed out as he walked out of the room only to be greeted by his other friends.

"Ash, you're better now, that's good," the red head said with relief as Cilan walked up to Ash, "Cilan and I have some serious news that you need to know," Misty said while walking to the exit of the ward.

"Ash, we have a situation unfolding, last night two legendary birds were attacked one by Team Rocket the other by a group of poachers with Hilda involved," Cilan stated as the group walked to the elevator, Ash pressed the button while hearing the news of what was going on, "a powerful trainer is working for Team Rocket, he is just as powerful as you Ash," Cilan pointed out with a frown.

The elevator door opened allowing the four in with Raichu following close behind, Ash pressed the ground floor button allowing the door to close, "Hilbert, it seems like they are trying to find an old friend," Ash said with a smile as the elevator lowered to the ground.

"Am I the only one to know very little of what has happened?" Misty asked in frustration as the elevator door opened allowing the group to walk out, "Ash tell me what happened," Misty demanded in anger as the travel party walked out of the elevator and along the long hallway of the hospital.

Ash looked to the ground as they walked through the hallway, "Ash, you can tell us," Salvia said while placing her hand on the trainers shoulder, Ash looked towards the princess and smiled at her, "we need to know what has happened so we can figure out the best way to deal with it," Salvia said wisely as group of four made it to the exit of the hallway and into the main foyer of the medical facility.

"Alright, but first we need something to eat, after that we will head out to the ship to start the last part of our journey in Kanto, I will tell you all along the way," Ash explained as he ran to the café near the main entrance of the hospital, "I will start with this, when I was in Unova two years ago I faced the massive threat of Team Plasma and their king N," Ash said with a frown as he waited at the main desk of the café.

"Wait a minute, I thought you said N was a good guy," Salvia replied with worry.

"I would like to have a packet of chips and a bottle of water," Ash placed in his order as everyone else followed, Ash took out his money and paid for his and Salvia's food, the group walked out of the hospital and looked around, "where was I?" Ash asked himself as everyone started to listen to Ash's story, "right, N was being used by his adoptive father Ghetsis, when that was revealed Hilda, Hilbert and myself sought to console him and offer to become his first friends, but Ghetsis insulted us and his adopted son, calling him a monster a freak with no heart," Ash explained as everyone looked to the ground in hurt, "after hearing those words, N couldn't handle the hurt he had suffered, so he called out a large black pokemon and flew off into the distance," Ash explained the last part of the story.

"So N was always alone?" Misty asked in a solemn tone.

"It wasn't for another year when we got in contact with N, he said he trusted us, because we are his first real friends, that was the last time we heard from him, and that was almost a year ago," Ash said while the group walked to the pokemon center and proceed to get Ash's pokemon back from the care of the nurse.

"So N has the power of Zekrom," Cilan said calmly as Ash pulled out a white stone from his bag, "that stone I can't believe you have that," Cilan said with pride as he inspected the stone, "the essence of the legendary Reshiram," Cilan said happily as he tried to take the stone to have a closer look but a form of heat emanated from the stone slightly burning CIlan's hands, 'strange it seems to trust Ash and Salvia along with Hilda and Hilbert,' Cilan thought to himself as he watched Ash place the powerful item into his bag again.

The traveling group started to walk to the small port south of the city as the winds started to pick up from the south, as the winds picked up a sudden storm moved in with a blizzard, the hit the ground to avoid the terrible weather coming in from the sea, as fast as the storm blew in it quickly dissipated. The four got up and looked to the clear sky, "odd the last time I saw something like that was on Shamouti Island," Ash said while checking to see if everyone was alright.

Salvia got up and cleaned of the dirt on her clothes, "Ash, do you think we will get a ship to Cinnabar Island?" Salvia asked with uncertainty as another gust of wind almost pushed the group back onto the ground.

"Seems like we have a situation on Seafoam Island," Ash declared with certainty as he got back up, while snaw started to fall to the ground, Ash extended his hand and closed it as snow fell into it, "strange the weather is starting to turn, this place usually has a tropical climate," Ash explained as more snow started to fall at an increasing rate.

"Ash, how do you know this?" Salvia asked in concern as the group started to walk towards the city port.

Misty walked up to Ash with a concerned look on her face, "Ash, what if the legendary birds are involved?" Misty asked her friend as the snow started to clear up, the group looked up to the sky to see an aurora weaving across the sky, "this was just like six years ago," Misty said with concern as a cold breeze blew passed the group.

"Now I remember, six years ago, Striaton City was hit by a powerful storm, we heard on the news that the legendary birds from the Orange Islands were the cause of the nasty weather," Cilan pointed out with a frown while stroking his chin, Ash looked back and nodded in approval. Cilan watched as the flying pokemon of the region flew off towards the island, "odd the pokemon of the region are acting up," Cilan pointed towards the flying pokemon with concern while Raichu started to get upset about the weather starting to get worse.

"Ash, what happened, I was kept in the palace because of it, the only thing I heard was a tornado hitting Sunnyshore City by Colin," Salvia confessed while looking up to the sky again this time with a band of rain coming closer to them, "it's about to rain," Salvia said before a heavy burst of rain hit them before moving away again. "Ash, what are we going to do?" Salvia asked the trainer with concern as the clouds moved back towards them this time with snow falling.

Ash placed his hand on his chin and started to think about, he looked up to the sky as a bolt of lightning struck ground from a distance away, "I need to head to the Pokemon Center to free a spot in my team," Ash said as he turned back to the city while the snow was falling in the area. Ash ran to the medical facility as quickly as possible while looking around to find the people panicking from the drastic change in weather.

Salvia, Misty and Cilan followed the trainer to the Pokemon Center as the clouds started to vanish yet again, "Misty, what's going on?"Cilan asked with concern as the group made it to the pokemon. The group looked around to find the people crammed inside the building, "seems like there is a reason and Ash knows that reason," Cilan said while finding Ash at the video phone talking to an elderly professor.

"Ash was once involved in a situation in the Orange Islands," Misty replied with concern as the group started to walk up to the trainer, "it's similar to this situation, but there was one major difference," Misty explained as Salvia looked at the red head before turning her gaze back to Ash, "we had help from Lugia and a good friend of ours Melody," Misty pointed out.

Ash walked up to the group with a determined look on his face, "just because we don't have the help of Lugia and Melody, it doesn't mean we won't stop this," Ash declared as he left the Pokemon Center with Raichu following close behind. Ash ran through the city and towards the port he looked back to see Salvia catching up to him, "Salvia, please head back to the Pokemon Center, you will be safe there," Ash told the princess who was now looking into Ash's eyes, she shook her head and smiled at him, "why not? I don't want anything to happen to you," Ash said with concern.

Salvia smiled at the trainer and grabbed his hand, "because Ash, I promised my dad I would look after you," Salvia said while expressing the will of her father, "plus, I don't want anything to happen to you either," Salvia confessed as the trainer smiled in submission.

"That's right Ash, you're too reckless," Misty stated with a smile as she and Cilan walked up to Ash and the young royal. "We will help you, because we know you cannot sort this out on your own," Misty declared with confidence.

The four walked off towards the port to find that it was closed due to the large surf that was occurring because of the storm that was moving off coast, "oh man this will be a massive problem," Ash said while walking up to one of the guards, "we need to get to Seafoam Island," Ash told the guard calmly but the guard looked at the group and frowned.

"I am sorry but due to the severe weather we cannot allow anyone on the ships," the guard replied while closing the gates to the pier.

Ash looked back at the group and frowned, he looked out to the ocean as large waves started to crash onto the shoreline, "this is just great, if only Lapras was here," Ash lamented with anger. Ash looked out to the ocean to spot a group of large blue pokemon with long necks and a large gray shell, "a group of Lapras, I wonder," Ash told himself as he walked towards the shoreline of Fuchsia City.

Salvia was quick to follow Ash leaving Misty and Cilan falling behind, the two watched as the storm drifted members of the group apart and towards the mainland, "Ash, Salvia lookout there is a group of Lapras heading your way," Misty said as she ran towards Ash and Salvia, Cilan followed close behind and looked on as a single stray Lapras became beached due to the large waves, "you two are as reckless as the other," Misty berated her two friends in anger.

Ash waltzed up to the exhausted water to pokemon and pet it on the head trying to calm the water type down, "hey it will be fine," Ash said while calming the panicking Lapras, the ferry pokemon looked up to see Ash tending to it, "it's been a while Lapras, you seemed to have gotten separated from your group again," Ash said with a smile while pulling out his pokeball, "I need your help again, so how about you join my team again," Ash enquired while Salvia watched the water type press it's head on the pokeball allowing it to get captured. Ash looked back to see the princess and his friends standing there with an uncertain look on their faces, "alright guys, time to get to Seafoam Island," Ash decreed as he called out the large blue pokemon.

_(Seafoam Island)_

"Sir Colin, I want you to have a look around," Brian ordered his friend as they went in separate directions. Brian looked around to see a young woman with long brown hair approaching a man with long green hair in a casual outfit, "who are those two?" Brian asked himself as the man called out a large black pokemon.

"Hilda, I want you to make sure Chris's plans don't succeed, I know you capturing Zapdos was just a way to gain his trust but you still need to be careful," the man instructed the brunette. "I will be heading out to see how Hilbert is going, he should have gotten Moltres by now," the mysterious male said before climbing onto the large black pokemon.

"Right N, we need to make sure Ash doesn't get involved either, I am concerned about the fact that the princess is going to get in danger if he helps out here," the young girl said with concern as she watched her friend leave the scene, 'this could be trouble if Ash brings the white stone here, Hilbert had entrusted the white stone to a strange man named Colin but he gave it to Ash," Hilda told herself as she took a glance at the end of the room to find the king standing there.

"What are you planning young lady?" the king asked in anger as the brunette walked towards him.

Hilda ignored Brian's request for information and walked passed him, "nothing you need to worry about, Chris is just as much my enemy as he is yours," Hilda replied as she walked off towards another part of the island, 'great, too many people are getting involved with N's plan to oust his father,' Hilda thought as she pressed in the numbers on her X-transceiver.

"Yo lovely, is everything going according to plan?" asked a male with short brown hair with a red and white hat.

"Hilbert, we are going to have a more difficult time if Ash and the princess get involved in this fight, plus Ash was given the white stone by Colin," Hilda replied to Hilbert's question.

"Well I guess he finally got the delivery of the white stone," Hilbert remarked with a grin, he looked up to see members of Team Rocket approaching him, "my infiltration of Team Rocket is a success they have captured the legendary pokemon Moltres," Hilbert explained as he looked back towards his end of the call, he walked around the room to show Hilda the legendary birds, "but we have a massive problem, the weather is taking a turn for the worse," the young teen explained with a frown as the legendary bird began to thrash about in the cage, "I will need to tend to Moltres," Hilbert said as he closed off his end of the call.

Hilda walked up to a cage containing a large yellow bird, "I am sorry for caging you like this Zapdos, but I needed to do it to gain the trust of my foes," Hilda remarked with sadness as she walked up to the angry legendary pokemon, "don't worry I will free you once the plans are fulfilled," Hilda said with assurance before walking towards the exit of the room.

Brian looked into the room and spotted the brunette walking towards him, "explain what is going on?" the king asked in frustration, "I see the legendary Zapdos there, why is it here?" the king asked again with increasing anger.

Hilda shrugged her shoulders and frowned, "I thought I told you your majesty I cannot tell you what's going on," Hilda replied as she walked pass the king, "all you need to know is that, while your daughter has travelled through the Kanto region with my trusted friend, I have been making sure that they are safe," Hilda explained much to the surprise of the king.

"You've been following them since when?" Brian asked the Unova native.

"I wasn't the only one following them," Hilda confessed with a smile, "Mew has been following them since Pallet Town," Hilda explained proudly as she started to walk off as the sounds of another pokemon were heard from deeper in the cave, "I will you this sire, Mew has taken a liking for your daughter," Hilda said with laughter as the sounds got louder, "I better get moving Articuno is under attack," Hilda said as she ran off leaving the king to think about what was going on.

The king walked back towards the other end of the island and started to think about more of the situation, he looked around to see water pokemon swimming in the water as ice started to expand out towards the distance, "the only one that can fix this situation is Ash, but I don't want my daughter in danger," the king told himself as the temperature continued to fall, "but Salvia, is willing to follow Ash where ever he goes," the king said with concern as the frigid wind started to pick up, 'I guess this attire does have its drawbacks,' the king thought to himself.

Meanwhile out in the rough oceans Ash, Salvia, Cilan and Misty were travelling on the shell of Lapras but the water was beginning to get too harsh for the water type almost throwing the group off, "Ash you reckless idiot we should have waited for the seas to calm down," Misty said with ire while Lapras struggled to continued moving towards the destination.

Ash looked over his shoulder to see his friends holding onto the large blue pokemon determined not to let the ocean take them, as a large wave was about to crash down upon them, they found themselves suddenly teleported away onto a large island covered in Ice. Ash looked around to see the surprise on his friends faces, "what just happened?" Ash asked his friends who were just as surprised as he was.

Salvia looked around to find Mew floating next to her, "thanks for the help Mew," Salvia gratefully told the small pokemon before it disappeared. Salvia got up and walked to Ash she raised her hand and slapped him for his actions, "you might want to put yourself in danger Ash but think of your friends and pokemon before doing something so rash," Salvia berated Ash as he recalled his water type pokemon.

The group looked over the island leaving Ash to cup his face from Salvia's slap, he looked over to his partner pokemon while thinking about what to do next, 'what was I thinking when we started traveling to this location?' Ash asked himself while walking slowly across the island. Ash looked up from the ground to see a small pink pokemon floating above the princess, 'so Mew saved us from that wave,' Ash thought as he smiled submissively.

Ash caught up with the group to try and find an entrance to the cave but only found more Ice along the way, "Ash, Seafoam Island is a resort, but the snow and ice make it impossible to find what we're looking for," Misty pointed out as the group continued to traverse the island.

Ash looked around to find pokemon stuck off the coast of the island, 'they are pointing towards something,' Ash thought as they walked away from the colony of pokemon. Ash walked up to the pokemon to figure out what was going on, he finally made it to the group of pokemon and closed his eyes, "it seems like they are pointing towards the entrance of a cave," Ash told himself as looked over to a small formations, 'maybe the entrance is there,' Ash thought as a sudden cold breeze passed through the area. "Emboar, I choose you," Ash called out for a large orange, red and brown pokemon.

Salvia turned around to find that Ash was preparing to attack a small formation , "what could Ash be thinking?" Salvia ask herself as she watched Emboar use a powerful fire attack on the snow and ice. "what is he doing?" Salvia asked as she started to approach the trainer while deep in thought.

Mew floated in front of the princess while she watched the trainer continuing the attack on the ice, she watched in amazement as the ice melting to reveal an entrance to the cave, Salvia watched as the small pink pokemon moved towards the fire type pokemon, a large burst of flames appeared from Mew as it headed towards the ice formation, "amazing," Salvia said in disbelief as the ice vanished in an instant.

Ash looked over to the small pink pokemon and smiled at it, it floated away towards Salvia's location, Ash walked up to Salvia with a proud smile on his face, "I found the entrance," Ash said happily before being approached by Misty and Cilan, "sorry about earlier guys, but now we need to stop Chris from achieving his goals," Ash said as he walked into the entrance of the cave upon hearing the noises of a strange pokemon.

Salvia, Misty and Cilan followed the trainer into the dark cave, "Ash it is dark in here," Salvia said in concern as she took ahold of Ash's arm, the group continued through the dark cave until they made it to a room filled with light, they looked around until they spotted a large yellow pokemon sleeping inside a cage, "what is that?" Salvia asked as Mew floated up to the cage.

"That is Zapdos," a female voice responded from the entrance to the cave, the group turned around to find a young brunette wearing a denim shorts, a white blouse and hat with a pink pokeball design and a black vest, "Ash, what are you doing here?" she asked in slight frustration while walking up to the group who were shocked to find out that she knew Ash. she walked over to the rest of the group until she came across Salvia who was still clinging to Ash's arm, 'seems like Ash has a girlfriend,' Hilda thought to herself with a smile before looking up to find Mew hovering next to Salvia.

"Hilda, why are you here in the Kanto region?" Ash asked his friend with a confused look on his face, "and why do you have Zapdos caged up here?" Ash asked his friend in anger as Salvia let go of his arm allowing Ash to walk towards the cage.

"Ash, I wouldn't touch those bars if I were you, there is a large amount of electricity surging through them," Hilda explained as she walked closer to Ash, she stood next to Ash who was feeling upset that his friend would do such a thing, "I will explain later, but first I need to get the key to this cage to free Zapdos," Hilda said as she turned around to find Ash's friends who were in shock from what had just happened, "you're all lucky I was following you after you entered," Hilda said with a smile.

"What are we supposed to do now?" Ash asked in anger as he looked up to the legendary bird.

"I have to wait for Hilbert to arrive with Moltres," Hilda proclaimed as she walked away from the group, "If you want to help, I guess I can capture you and take you to Chris," Hilda said with a sly smile.

Salvia walked up and presented her hands, "do it, I will be happy to allow you to capture us if we can stop my uncle," Salvia said as Hilda lightly tied Salvia's hands together.

The rest of the group walked over to Hilda and got tied up so they can be led to Salvia's uncle, "I will tell you about a secret plan later, but now we need to save the legendary birds," Hilda said with a smile while looking over to Ash, she walked next to him and smile, "I take it you finally got yourself a girlfriend," Hilda whispered to Ash as they continued to walk through the cave.

"Yeah I have, strange really, never thought I would be going out with a real life princess," Ash retorted quietly, "you know she slapped me a little while ago for trying to cross the ocean with my Lapras," Ash whispered to his friend.

Hilda laughed at her friends misfortune, "well you deserved it," Hilda remarked with a cheeky smile, everyone should know, you're a reckless idiot," Hilda stated much to Ash's ire, "Ash, I am not sure how many times this has been said, but you need to continue looking after her," Hilda said as she walked ahead towards the princess.

Salvia looked over her shoulder to see Hilda walking next to her, "so what were your two talking about?" Salvia asked the brunette.

"Nothing at all princess, just how lucky he is to have you that's all," Hilda lied to the princess as the group walked neat to the entrance of the next cave, "alright you guys, let me do all the talking, I will let you guys go as soon as possible," Hilda instructed her new friends.

"So Hilda you finally came back, how is Zapdos?" Chris asked the brunette with a dark smile, "I am lucky I have a few reliable people around, it just so happens you're not one of them," Chris stated while laughing in a crazed manner. "So how are you going to betray me, I also see you have brought a few friends and my beautiful niece as well," Chris said while pointing over to a large blue winged pokemon whose wings were tied up.

"Chris you need to stop this, if you intend to rule the world, let's just say the weather will prevent that," Ash said with slight sarcasm, "do you remember what happened six years ago when the world's climate kept changing in a single day?" Ash asked the man standing in front of the hurt legendary pokemon.

"You lie, there is no way I will let you deny me of world conquest," Chris said with his fists clenched, "now that the princess is within my grasp my brother will have no choice but to hand over the crown to me," Chris declared as he walked over to Salvia.

"I will not let you take the princess from my care!" Ash declared in anger as he undid his bonds and tackled Chris to the ground. "My battle is with Chris, the rest of you do what you can to rescue the legendary birds," Ash instructed his friends as he looked over to Chris who was being helped up by Alex, "two on one, why not battle me one on one?" Ash enquired calmly as the two opponents laughed at the trainer, "I guess that is to be expected by someone who is willing to do anything to take over the world," Ash said with a submissive smile.

Salvia was running with the rest of the group until she turned around to find that Ash was about to battle her uncle and his guard, 'Ash, you will not battle alone,' Salvia thought as she started running towards Ash.

Salvia looked at Ash with a smile, "I thought I told you to help the legendary birds," Ash said with frustration.

Salvia chuckled a little and pulled out her pokeball, "Ash, sometimes you need to accept help from others," Salvia told Ash with a smile.

"Matters not, this is perfect, I can beat the both in battle and make your father submit his throne at the same time," Chris explained his new plan to Ash and Salvia, "prepare to lose," Chris told the duo while pulling out his pokeball, "Suicune time to battle," Chris called out his legendary pokemon.

"Electivire, time to shatter the stage," Alex called out his pokemon with equal confidence.

"Dragonite, it's time to shine," Salvia called out her starter pokemon to battle.

"Gengar, I choose you," Ash called for his ghost type pokemon. The two sides glared at one another as the entrance behind them caved in by walls of ice, "well that will be a problem," Ash said with a sad laugh.

"The perfect grave for you Ash Ketchum," Chris declared as the legendary beast growled at the duo.

* * *

**The last battle in Kanto has just started, they are now trapped with Articuno behind Chris. Will Moltres arrive to help out? Or will Chris succeed in his plan to capture the legendary birds of Kanto? **

**What new surprises await the group in the next episode? **

**Wait and find out in Episode 24: Shattered Ice PT2**


	24. Shattered Ice PT2

**Episode 24: Shattered Ice PT2**

_The final confrontation in the Kanto region plus a sweet end to this episode I hope._

* * *

Ash and Salvia stared at their foes with great intent; Ash turned his gaze to the princess before looking back towards the legendary pokemon, Chris burst out into laughter at seeing the team the Ash and Salvia presented him and his partner in battle, "you intend to battle me with such weak pokemon?" Chris questioned the couple glaring at him, "fine by me, but you two will not win this battle," Chris declared with a smirk.

"Salvia, we will have to be careful in this battle, I will defend your Dragonite against Ice type attacks," Ash told the princess calmly while looking at the Salvia's starter pokemon. Salvia nodded while the two refocused on the battle, "Salvia follow my lead," Ash instructed the princess as his ghost type leapt into the air, "Gengar attack Suicune with Shadow Ball," Ash instructed the ghost pokemon.

"Alright Dragonite use Dragon Claw on Suicune now," Salvia instructed her pokemon confidently. Dragonite charged towards the legendary pokemon without fear with its claws glowing white while Gengar was charging up a ghostly sphere before firing it at the legendary pokemon.

"Fools you forgot about me, Electivire attack with Thunder Punch!" Alex yelled out with anger as his electric pokemon charged towards the dragon type pokemon with devastating intent. But as the attack was about to land a powerful beam of ice smashed into the electric type causing it to fall to the ground, "Articuno, I was so caught up in the next attack," Chris said with disappointment, the two attacks intended for Suicune barely missed the target, "lucky, but we need to hold them off until Moltres arrives," Alex said while trying to keep himself calm.

"Raichu, I want you to help free Articuno," Ash told his electric partner quietly.

"My Raichu will help too, go help free Articuno," Salvia called out her Raichu to help out.

"Gallade stop those two rodents from freeing Articuno," Chis instructed his fighting type in anger as the two electric pokemon were stopped from getting too close to the freezing pokemon. Chris turned his view back to Ash and his niece as he burst out into laughter, "you two think it will be so easy to free that legendary pokemon?" Chris asked the couple with a craze grin, "Suicune, hit Dragonite with Sheer Cold," Chris called out for the next attack with supreme confidence.

Ash watched as the icy attack neared his partners pokemon, he gritted his teeth for a moment and looked back towards his ghost type pokemon, "Gengar, stop the attack with Dark Pulse," Ash told his combatant with concern. The ghost type sent out a wav e of dark energy to meet with the powerful ice type attack. The two attacks collided causing a powerful explosion making part of the cave collapse around them.

"Thanks for that Ash, now I will take the lead in this dance," Salvia declared as she confidently grinned at her uncle's guard, "Dragonite attack with Dragon Rush," Salvia instructed the powerful dragon pokemon.

Dragonite charged towards the electric pokemon causing it to freeze on the spot, the dragon type gained a dark blue aura before crashing into the electric pokemon, "she has gotten stronger since we last battled," Alex expressed his concern as his electric pokemon fell back from the power of the attack, "counter with Thunderbolt," Alex told his pokemon with great confidence.

"Suicune attack Dragonite with Hydro Pump," Chris ordered his pokemon calmly. The two attackers launched their powerful attacks on the princess's dragon causing Ash to move his ghost type in for the defence.

"Gengar stop those attacks with Hypnosis," Ash instructed his pokemon. The eyes of the ghost type started to glow red as it sent out an hypnotic wave towards the incoming attackers, the two pokemon fell asleep stopping the two attacks before they reached the princess's pokemon, Ash celebrated for a moment before looking up to see the two electric pokemon fighting off Chris's psychic pokemon.

"Ash they are asleep," Salvia pointed out the obvious.

Ash nodded and smirked at the opposing pokemon, "now it's time to open this battle right up, Gengar attack with Dream Eater," Ash ordered his ghostly pokemon to attack the sleeping pokemon.

Chris looked on in horror as his legendary pokemon took a powerful hit from Gengar, "Gallade forget those two, attack Gengar with Psycho Cut," Chris told his psychic pokemon with frustration. Gallade jumped into the middle of the battle and slashed at the ghost type with a purple blade dealing immense damage to the ghost type pokemon.

Ash watched as his ghost type was caught off guard and fell back towards its trainer, "how dare you do that! You will pay for that!" Salvia decreed as Dragonite roared out in anger upon seeing Gengar collapse from the critical hit. "Dragonite attack Suicune with Thunder Punch!" Salvia yelled out in anger as the dragon charged towards the legendary pokemon with a thunderous fist.

"Not so fast Gallade attack with Shadow Claw," Chris ordered his pokemon with confidence. The psychic type quickly charged towards the dragon with a shadowy blade, the two attacks landed pushing the two pokemon back towards their trainers, "I will not let you two anywhere near Suicune and Electivire," Chris decreed with a smirk as the two pokemon began to stir from their slumber.

Ash looked on as their pokemon were panting from the two powerful attacks from the opposing Gallade, "Salvia we need to focus our attacks on Gallade," Ash told the princess while trying to calm the angered royal down, "Gengar attack with Shadow Ball," Ash told his tiring ghost type pokemon.

"Right, Dragonite attack with Flamethrower," Salvia told her dragon pokemon, the dragon type sent out a powerful burst of flames directed at the green and white humanoid pokemon as the ghost type powered up a sphere of purple energy then fired it at the opposing pokemon with great intent.

Chris watched as the two attacks came closer, he gritted his teeth, "attack with Night Slash," Salvia's uncle ordered the attack, but it was too late the two attacks slammed into the dual type pokemon knocking it out of the battle, "lucky move," Chris stated as he smiled at the two pokemon panting from the battle, "seems like my Gallade caused some trouble for your pokemon," Chris told the team of Ash and Salvia.

The two opposing pokemon woke up from their slumber causing Ash and Salvia to prepare for the next attack. "Salvia, this isn't going so well," Ash stated with a frown as he looked over to his tired ghost pokemon. The trainer looked at the two opposing pokemon for a moment, 'hold on a second, why have we only seen these two pokemon, surely they have more than this,' Ash thought as he pulled out his pokeball to recall his tired ghost type.

Salvia turned her gaze to Ash who was deep in thought, "Ash, what are you thinking about?" Salvia asked who was starting to get a bad feeling.

"Nothing bad Salvia, I think these two are the only pokemon they have, that the reason why he defended Suicune and Electivire so vigorously," Ash explained with certainty as he recalled his ghost type pokemon.

Chris clapped and laughed at Ash, "well done young trainer, you figured out our little weakness, but that isn't enough, you have to defeat these two in battle, too bad for you that will not be so easy," Chris pointed out with supreme confidence.

"My uncle is right, how do we stand against a legendary pokemon?" Salvia questioned as she looked to the ground in doubt, "our two pokemon are too tired to battle and you just recalled your pokemon," Salvia pointed out quietly as the trainer pulled out another pokeball.

"I knew I would need this pokemon," Ash said with a smile as he threw his pokeball out, "Sceptile, I choose you," Ash called out a large green pokemon with a bushy tail, "before I left to come here, I made sure that I got this pokemon to battle this team," Ash professed as his grass type glared at the two opposing pokemon.

Salvia looked surprised that Ash was preparing for this battle before they reached the land, "Dragonite attack Electivire with Dragon Claw," Salvia instructed her dragon pokemon. The dragon type charged towards the electric pokemon with glowing white claws.

"Not a chance, attack with Ice Beam," Chris called out for his attack.

Ash watched as his partner in battle look on in horror, "I said I will defend my team mate, and I will not stop doing so," Ash declared as his grass type charge towards the legendary pokemon with great speed, "Sceptile attack with Leaf Blade," Ash called out for the counter attack. Blades extended from the grass type as it cut through the beam of ice until it slashed down on the aurora pokemon for a super effective attack, "nicely done Sceptile," Ash congratulated his grass type pokemon before watching Dragonite slash down on the other opposing pokemon.

"Chris this could be a problem," Alex said calmly as the ice type was being helped by the two electric mouse pokemon, "our two pokemon took some powerful hits," Alex explained while watching his pokemon slowly get up after the devastating hit from the princess's dragon pokemon, "my Electivire cannot take many more hits like that, we need to pull back and come up with another plan," Alex said with a frown as he watched Suicune struggle back up.

Meanwhile Hilda, Misty and Cilan met up with the king and Colin as they were starting their mission to rescue the legendary bird of thunder, "wait a second where is my daughter?" the king asked in fear as he looked around to find his daughter missing, the search stopped when the cave started to rumble from an unknown source, "what's going on?" the king asked in fear as the group hit the ground.

"It seems like the battle is still going," Hilda said as she looked back towards the battle, she looked over to the king who was starting to get very concerned about the battle, "Salvia and Ash are battling Chris and Alex," Hilda explained as the king looked back in horror, he started to run back but was stopped by Colin, "we cannot afford to get involved in the battle, we need to focus on our mission to free Zapdos," Hilda told the king wisely as she walked on ahead towards the place where Zapdos was being held, "plus I doubt Ash would let anything bad to happen to your daughter," Hilda said with a confident grin as the king stopped moving.

Brian looked to the ground in shame as memories of the battle against his daughter flooded back, "it wasn't too long ago I found that my daughter was getting stronger while being with Ash," the king said as he punched the cave wall, "now she is battling my brother to defend the world, she is battling alongside Ash," the king said as he started to gain a proud smile.

"Sire, we don't have the time to stay here we need to help our friends rescue Zapdos, it's the only way we can save the world," Colin said with a smile as he reassured his friend.

The king looked up and smiled at his friend, he nodded in approval and followed the friends to the legendary pokemon, "you're right my friend I should learn not to worry about my daughter to much, you hold Ash in high regard," the king explained with a smile as he followed the rest of the group to Zapdos.

"Excadrill, help us free Zapdos," Hilda called out her ground type pokemon, "if any of you have a ground type pokemon, it would be great," Hilda said with a smile while her pokemon spun around while charging at the cage to a surprised legendary pokemon.

Misty stood next to Hilda and pulled out her pokeball, she nodded at the brunette and threw out her pokeball, "Quagsire, use Mud shot on the bars," Misty declared as Brian and Cilan walked up to the group, "what about you Colin?" Misty asked with a smirk as the two guys took out their pokeballs.

"Hippowdon, time to free this legendary pokemon, attack with Crunch," Brian called out a large gray pokemon with a large head, it charged towards the cage as the sparks started to fly around the cage, the ground types continued to stand their ground not taking any damage from the electricity in the area.

"Simisage, use Seed Bomb," Cilan called out his elemental monkey to assist in the rescue effort, Colin watched as the four pokemon attack, "Colin we need your help," Cilan decreed as the royal guard walked next to the group, he pulled out his pokeball while a large seed smashed into the cage causing an explosion.

"Flygon, time to open up this cage," Colin called for a large green pokemon with a pair of green wings with red rims, large red eyes and a long tail, "attack the cage with Dragon Claw," Colin ordered his pokemon with confidence.

The dragon type charged at the cage as the sparks continued to fly shocking everyone around it, the ground types broke open the cage freeing the legendary pokemon from its prison, the legendary pokemon flapped its giant wings and looked down at the group before flying off towards the exit of the cave, "we did it," Hilda said in a celebratory manner as she jumped around in joy while the rest of the group picked themselves up from the rescue of the thunder pokemon.

Misty looked up to Hilda who was extending her hand out to help the rest of the group up, "Hilda, you're just as reckless as Ash," Mist pointed out while accepting the help from the brunette, "but at least we saved Zapdos," Misty said with relief while recalling her Quagsire.

Colin and Brian got up and exited the room only to find that the area was blocked with ice, "guys we have a problem," Colin said as the rest of the group exited the cave to find ice blocking their path back to Ash and Salvia, "this is bad, we need to get to them before it's too late," Colin said in concern while Misty, Hilda and Cilan looked at one another, "Rapidash, use Flamethrower," Colin called out his fire type pokemon with great urgency.

"Simisear, you help out to," Cilan called out a large red monkey to help melt the ice. It was soon followed by another Rapidash and a large red and black quadruped pokemon with a cream colored collar and tail this time teaming up to melt the ice.

"Arcanine attack with Fire Blast," Hilda called for a powerful fire type attack. Hilda watched as the ice continued to melt at a rapid rate but it was slow going for the group, 'this is going to take a while,' Hilda thought as a mostly yellow pokemon with fire coming from its wings, head and tail appeared in front of them, "Hilbert, you finally made it," Hilda said in great relied as the fire type attacked the ice.

"I couldn't let you have all the fun," Hilbert declared with a smile.

"Hilbert did you get any information on the whereabouts of Ghetsis?" Hilda asked with a frown.

Hilbert nodded seriously as the king and Colin walked up to the young man, "Hilda, we need to head back to the Unova Region, I heard there is a serious problem there," Hilbert told his girlfriend with a frown while jumping off the legendary bird of fire, "how is Ash going in the battle?" Hilbert asked Hilda much to the surprise of the other people in the area.

"He is fighting Chris and Alex, but we need to melt the ice to get to him," Hilda said with sadness as the watched more ice appearing in front of them, "we are using our best fire attacks, but we are still getting pushed back," Hilda explained with sorrow.

"Munna, I need your help for a moment," Hilbert called out a pink pokemon with a floral pattern on its body, "I need you to eat my dreams right now," Hilbert instructed the pokemon.

Munna latched itself onto the head of Hilbert and started to eat his dreams, the group watched as Munna ate his dreams, "Hilbert, what's going on?" Hilda asked while everyone watched in amazement.

The dream eater pokemon hovered next to Hilbert and he looked back at the group with a frown, "it seems there is a battle to save Articuno, but the ice is emanating from that area," Hilbert explained solemnly as the ice started to inch closer to them, "Moltres we need your help," Hilbert requested of the flame pokemon. It nodded and unleashed a wave of flames at the wall of ice.

_(Back at the battle)_

Ash and Salvia had their backs to the wall of ice as they were approached by the two opposing pokemon, "seems like you two have had enough, we have beaten almost all of your pokemon, you only have Raichu left over," Chris explained with a devious smile.

Ash looked at the exhausted pokemon and noticed that the bag on his back was starting to get heavier, "what going on?" Ash asked as his bag mysteriously opened up and the large white stone started to hover in front of the duo.

"What kind of trick is this?" Chris asked in anger as the white stone landing in the middle of the battlefield, "useless stone," Chris said with a smile as he turned his gaze to the last of Ash and Salvia's pokemon, "this battle is over, Suicune attack with Sheer Cold," Chris called out for the final attack of the battle.

"Electivire attack with Brick Break," Alex ordered for his pokemon to attack one of the Raichu's.

As the two attacks got closer a sudden burst of flames appeared from the stone pushing Suicune and Electivire to the walls and melting a massive amount of ice, the flames spiralled around the stone until it stopped, "what just happened?" Salvia asked Ash who was standing next to her, Ash walked up to the stone and grabbed it, he looked around to see the legendary water type injured from the attack and Electivire knocked out from the force of the flames.

Chris walked over to his injured Gallade with Alex walking next to him, "get us out of here," Chris instructed his fighting type, it gathered enough energy to teleport his trainer and friend out of there leaving Ash and Salvia to try and rescue the freezing pokemon.

Ash looked at the white stone for a moment, "thank you for helping us Reshiram," Ash thankfully told the stone before placing it back into his bag, Ash walked up to Articuno while Salvia tended to the pokemon, "Raichu, attack the chains with Volt Tackle," the trainer instructed his starter pokemon.

The electric mouse pokemon charged at the chains with Salvia's Raichu watching the attack, suddenly she charged towards the chains with a thunderous aura and slammed into it, the chains shattered allowing the legendary pokemon to fly off freely, Ash looked over to the princess who was helping out the pokemon, "Ash we were lucky to win that battle," Salvia said as she thought back to the teamwork their opponents displayed, Ash placed his hand on the princess's shoulder and smiled at her, Salvia looked up with a proud smile and watched the legendary pokemon leaving the area.

"You did well Salvia," Ash commented as he walked over to the wall of ice, "I hope the others will be here soon," Ash said with a hopeful look on his face, he opened his bag and pulled out some food, "well there is only enough for one person," Ash said sadly as he walked over to Salvia, "here this yours," Ash said while handing over the food to the young royal.

Salvia took the food with slight disdain and watched Ash walked back to the wall and sat down to wait for help, "Ash, I am sure you need something to eat as well," Salvia said with fear. The duo recalled their respective pokemon. Suddenly the X-transceivers started to ring, "Colin, how long will you be?" Salvia asked her friend as she walked up to Ash.

"Lady Salvia, we will take some time, I would say about an hour of using a lot of fire attacks," Colin pointed out with a grimace.

"That's fine Colin, take as much time as you need," Ash said as Salvia took a seat next to Ash, Salvia closed off the call and rested her head on the trainers shoulder, "I think you got your confidence back," Ash said proudly as he placed his arm around the princess.

Salvia picked up her head and looked up to Ash, "I have a question for you Ash, it is very important that you answer it for me," Salvia told Ash with a smile, she moved Ash's arm and moved to sit directly in front of the trainer, "what do you intend to do after this journey is over Ash?" Salvia asked the trainer with wisdom.

Ash sat there in shock as the question rang in his head for a moment, he looked around to see the two Raichu's resting in the middle of the cave, he looked back to see a more serious expression on the face of the young royal, "I've never thought about that before, I always thought about where the road would take me," Ash professed with a sad smile.

"That's not the answer I was hoping for Ash," Salvia pouted at the trainer with his unfavourable reply, "surely you have plans for the future Ash," Salvia enquired as she moved her left hand to the trainers face. She placed her hand on his face and lifted his head up, she looked into his eyes and noticed that he wasn't certain about what to say, "I am guessing that you have no idea what direction to follow," Salvia said with a smile.

"That's right I never thought about the future, I only thought about the present," Ash explained with a frown as he looked into the bright blue eyes of the princess. Salvia removed her hand and moved back to sitting next to Ash; she rested her head on the trainer and smiled, "Salvia, would you help me find the answer?" Ash asked the princess quietly.

Salvia let out a quick chuckle and closed her eyes, "of course Ash, I will help you find the answer you seek," Salvia promised the trainer. Salvia looked up to Ash yet again and smiled at him, "you know Ash we haven't had a date since the dance on the ship on the way to Kanto," Salvia expressed her idea to Ash.

"What since when did that count as a date?" Ash asked in shock as the princess burst out into laughter, "I didn't know that counted," Ash said while the princess smiled at him.

"So chasing me down the hallway, taking my hand to dance with me, so that didn't count," the princess joked as the trainer next to her continued to try and respond, "come on Ash we need to do something together, not traveling or battling together, but a nice dinner at a great restaurant, a place where we can dance and then a chance to look at the stars at night," Salvia explained her plan to Ash who was in awe of the princess's words.

Ash started laughing at the words of Salvia, "you've had this all planned out didn't you?" Ash asked in shock, the bluenette nodded happily in response to Ash's question.

"Come on Ash, no date since our dance on the ship, that can't be good," Salvia said while closing her eyes yet again, "it will give us a chance to relax a little, you might find your answer then," Salvia said while trying to get her love to tag along, "please Ash," Salvia pleaded to the trainer while taking his hand.

Ash lowered his head in submission, "alright, the night we get back to Pallet Town, we will go out on our own," Ash submitted causing the royal to hug the trainer in response, "how about this, every region has some place nice to see, I will take you to those places," Ash said with a smile as he looked into the princess's eyes again.

"Good, now that we have a date, we need to dress up formally," Salvia explained as she jumped up and looked around for a place to hide, "now I will be back in a moment," Salvia said as she walked off, "now don't follow me," Salvia ordered the trainer before hiding behind the rock.

Ash stood up and turned towards the wall, "you know Salvia, I have no idea what you have planned right now," Ash said but the princess ignored the comment, he listened to the princess singing he didn't dare turn around in case the royal was standing there, "you could save it for later," Ash said but still no reply from the royal, he waited as time continued to pass by he waited for Salvia to come back with whatever she was planning.

Salvia walked from behind the rocks with a blue royal gown on, she looked up to see Ash with his back turned, she walked up to Ash slowly and took his hand, "Ash, turn around now," Salvia said sweetly.

Ash turned around to see Salvia in her royal attire, his eyes widened at seeing the sight, his shocked expression was only hiding how fast his heart was beating inside his chest, he couldn't keep his eyes off the princess for a single moment, she walked closer to the trainer who was in awe of her appearance, "you kept that with you all this time?" Ash asked the Salvia as she looked away for a moment, Ash continued to stare at how elegant the princess looked in the royal attire.

"I kept it with me just in case," Salvia said with a smile as she looked up to see the surprised expression on her face, "you know I was really hoping to see you again, when I first met you, I knew it was you that I wanted to be with," Salvia professed with a smile as she announced while Ash looked away in shame, "now you know that it's your turn to find what you want for the future," Salvia told the trainer with a smile as she moved closer, she pressed her lips onto his cheek causing the trainer to look to the other end of the cave in shock.

While Salvia was kissing Ash's cheek the ice wall behind them collapsed behind them but it was ignored by the princess who was now embracing Ash, "Salvia, I am not sure what to do after my journey," Ash repeated again.

Salvia smiled while her eyes were closed, "I told you Ash, I will help you find the answer," Salvia repeated her words in reply to Ash.

The friends looked on with smiles on each of their faces, "you know you two, we have been standing her for five minutes," Hilda declared as she grabbed a hold of Hilbert's arm.

Salvia opened her eyes and pushed back a little allowing Ash to turn around to see his friends, "we beat Chris and Alex, thanks to the help of Reshiram," Ash stated with a smile as he turned his gaze to the princess, "we saved Articuno as well," Ash said while taking the princess's hand, the two looked at one another happily before turning their gaze back to their friends.

"Ash, where is my brother?" Brian asked the trainer as the two approached the king with a shameful look on their face, "he escaped?" the king asked with a frown while looking away.

"Yeah, there was little we could do," Salvia told her father.

"Ash, thanks for looking after the princess," Colin said as he shook Ash's hand.

After shaking the royal guards hand he walked up to his friends from Unova, "it's been a while Hilbert," Ash said causing the two to laugh out loud.

The two finished their fit of laughter and started ouching each other on the arm, but Hilbert changed his expression and started to frown, "Ash there is a situation in the Unova Region, a situation that requires Hilda and me to be there," Hilbert said with a frown as the brunette walked up to Ash, "Hilda, we need to go," Hilbert said as he turned away.

"Ash, please take care of Salvia," Hilda requested with a smile as she started to turn around, "Hilbert and I will see you again," Hilda said as she smiled at the trainer before leaving the area to follow Hilbert to their next destination.

Salvia walked towards her father with her Raichu standing next to her, she looked up and smiled at him more confidently, "Dad, I need to continue traveling with Ash, I still feel like I can learn a lot from him, and plus he needs my help to answer a question that I asked him," Salvia told her dad with pride as she stood next to Ash.

Brian walked up to the trainer and smiled at him, "Ash, please take care of my daughter, Colin and I will be searching for my brother," Brian told Ash calmly as they left the area to begin his search for his brother.

Ash looked over to the princess and smiled, suddenly Ash noticed a white and green bottle flying towards him, he caught the bottle and looked up towards Colin, "a Full Restore," Ash said while nodding at his friend before he left the scene, "I think I will use this on Lapras so we can get to Cinnibar Island," Ash said while the remaining four started to walk out of the cave with Salvia walking next to him, Misty and Cilan watched as the two walked closely getting closer to one another until Salvia grabbed the trainers hand.

"This will be an interesting combination," Cilan said happily as he and Misty walked with the two Raichu's following their masters, 'I think Ash has his answer but is too proud to admit it,' Cilan thought himself as they continued to walk through the cave.

While the group was walking out of the cave Mew was following them to the exit without them noticing, hiding behind the rocks and flying towards the group quietly, it continued to fly towards them as the light of day appeared in front of it, Mew hid behind the rocks noticing that Ash and Salvia's hands were entwined, the two stood there watching the sunset together while Misty and Cilan sat down in separate areas.

Mew flew up to Ash and Salvia while keeping hidden from the rest of the group, it revealed itself to the two trainers, "Mew, you're following us everywhere we go?" Salvia asked as the small pink pokemon nodded happily it landed on the entwined hands of Ash and Salvia and watched the sunset with them.

* * *

**Chris and Alex have retreated into the next region while Ash and Salvia continue their journey, with problems rising in almost every region; will Ash and Salvia be able to spend time alone?**

**Next episode will be the fire master battle, then the chance Ash and Salvia have been waiting for.**

**Next time: Blaze of Glory**


	25. Blaze and Glory

**Episode 25: Blaze and Glory**

_This episode will happen two days after the events of Seafoam Island with Ash facing yet another tough battle with a couple of pokemon elvolving twice in this episode._

* * *

After the trip from Seafoam Island Ash and Salvia took the chance to have a quick battle between each other, with two of their newest pokemon with Cilan and Misty watching them from the sidelines, Raichu watched the battle going on with great intent, "nicely done Salvia," Ash commented with a proud smile as his Dragonair landed in front of him while panting from the attack, "Dragonair, attack with Dragon Pulse," Ash commanded with confidence.

"Rhyhorn, use Horn Attack," Salvia instructed her pokemon calmly.

Rhyhorn charged towards the powerful dragon pokemon with great ferocity, Dragonair powered up a powerful burst of energy and fired it at the ground type pokemon, the ground type pokemon had no time to move out of the way and took the attack head on, Rhyhorn took the attack and fell back from the force of it, "alright this round of the battle is over," Ash told the princess with a smile as he recalled his pokemon.

After recalling his pokemon a young woman approached the ground type pokemon, "wow, that was an amazing battle," she said while looking over to Ash. "Almost forgot I am the fire master of this island, the granddaughter of Blaine, Toni," she introduced herself with great confidence.

Ash walked up to the fire master with a smirk, "my name is Ash Ketchum, I challenge you to a battle," Ash respectfully requested.

The lady with long pink hair wearing blue jeans and a white shirt with a fire emblem on the front extended her hand out, "I accept your challenge, but in this battle the rules will be different, it is still six on six but whenever we knock out a pokemon we have to start the next round with another pokemon, in other words this battle will be the best four out of six," Toni explained to the challenging trainer.

The rest of the group walked up to Ash with an excited look on their faces, "Ash, I thought we were going to finish this battle," Salvia said with a frown as she pulled out her pokeball, Ash looked over to the princess and nodded, "good," Salvia replied as she stood back at her end of the battle field, "Lavitar, it's time to shine," Salvia called out her newly acquired pokemon.

"Beldum, I choose you," Ash called out his, the iron ball pokemon hovered in front of Ash between the mostly green pokemon ready to battle it, "now Salvia, Beldum's only know one attack," Ash told the young royal as she nodded with determination, "Beldum attack with Take Down," Ash instructed the steel type pokemon.

"Larvitar, counter with Dark Pulse," Salvia ordered her pokemon while the opposing pokemon charged towards it, the rock skin pokemon fired a dark wave of energy at the steel type pokemon, the two attacks collided with devastating force pushing the iron ball pokemon dack towards Ash.

Ash smirked for a moment as his pokemon got back up after the powerful attack, "well done Salvia," Ash complimented the bluenette as she started to celebrate a little, "don't celebrate too early, Beldum attack with Take Down again," Ash instructed his pokemon with.

"Not so fast Ash, Larvitar attack with Bite," Salvia ordered her pokemon quickly.

The two pokemon charged at one another with their trainers cheering them on, as the two pokemon got closer they both started to glow a bright white, Beldum grew larger with two arms extending from a main body, while Larvitar grew slightly taller and a more cacoon shape, after the glowing stopped Ash and Salvia looked in amazement as they pulled out their respective pokedexes to gather the information on their new pokemon.

Misty and Cilan looked at one another for a moment with a smile on each others faces, "unbelievable, the recipe of this battle has produced a new product, Ash now has a Metang while Salvia has a Pupitar," Cilan commented happily as he walked closer to the new pokemon, "amazing these new ingredients will give Ash and Salvia a much needed boost in power against Chris and Alex," Cilan started ecstatically.

Misty looked at the ground in slight as she listened to Cilan's words, 'doesn't he ever shut up?' Misty thought to herself as she waltzed over to her friends to congratulate them, "so Ash, do you have any idea what team you will be battling with in the masters challenge?" Misty asked her friend as he recalled his new pokemon back to its pokeball.

Ash looked at his Raichu and smiled, "sorry buddy but you will have to sit this one out," Ash told the electric pokemon, Raichu looked at his trainer upset about what he had heard from his trainer, "I want to try something tomorrow," Ash told his pokemon as the group left the battle area for the Pokemon Center.

After walking for a short time the group made it to the medical facility with the sun setting in the background. Salvia watched as the trainer walked into the Pokemon Center with concern, 'what could he be thinking?' Salvia wondered as the trainer turned around to see her standing there without moving.

Ash walked over to the princess and extended his hand towards her, "I don't want you to stand there alone," Ash said as the princess took his hand and followed him inside, "I have something I want to ask you," Ash told the young royal after walking into the crowded building.

Ash went ordered dinner for the group as he looked towards the bluenette with a smile, he walked over to her and sat down next to her, "when I find my answer, I promise you will be the first to know," Ash told the young royal as she looked up at the trainer and smiled at him, "but I want to continue my journey with you by my side at all times," Ash told the princess as he looked at her happily.

Salvia looked towards her new friends and smiled, "I am happy to hear that Ash," Salvia chimed as she rested her head on the trainers shoulder, "so what do you intend to do in tomorrow's battle?" Salvia asked the trainer quietly as the food started to arrive.

"I will answer that for you later, but first we need to eat," Ash retorted calmly as he grabbed the knife and fork to start eating his food.

Salvia watched Ash eating his food and smiled, 'well at least he is confident,' Salvia thought as she took her utensils to start eating her food, she politely started eating her food.

Ash took a look over his shoulder to see Salvia politely eating her food, "oh come on Salvia, no need to eat like a princess," Ash said before gulping down on more food, "you're out in the real world and not confined by the palace walls," Ash told his girlfriend with a cheeky smile, Salvia looked at the trainer as he took another lot of food and crammed it into his mouth, "you see….. what I…. mean?" Ash asked while trying to talk with is mouth full of food.

Salvia sighed at the sight of the trainer trying to talk with his mouth full, Ash, in the palace we learnt manners," Salvia told Ash as she politely placed more food in her mouth, while watching the trainer wolf down on more food, 'I am not sure how you would last in the palace Ash,' Salvia thought as she shrugged her shoulders.

Misty and Cilan watched as Ash and Salvia ate their food, "much like the flavors of different food, these two are a great contrast," Cilan said with a smile as he noticed a bit of food coming from the corner of Ash's mouth.

Salvia noticed this and wiped her finger across the bit of food, "this wouldn't happen if you eat your food slowly," instructed Ash as she placed the bit of food in her mouth, suddenly a sudden burst of heat pulsed through her mouth, "hot, how can you eat that stuff?" Salvia asked the trainer as she grabbed a bottle of water.

Ash swallowed his food and laughed at the princess, "you just got your first taste of curry," Ash teased the princess who looked over to Ash and smirked at him, "hey don't look at me like that," Ash commented as he walked away from the table. Salvia followed the trainer to the exit of the medical facility to find out what the trainer had planned for the next day's battle, "Salvia, the reason why I don't want Raichu to battle is because I want a member from your team," Ash remarked as the two started walking down the street of the island city.

Salvia looked over to Ash with a smile, "who do you have in mind?" Salvia asked the trainer as they continued to walk through the lit up street.

Ash and Salvia finally made it to the beach, "I want to borrow your Pupitar for this battle," Ash retorted as the two sat down to listen to the waves crashing onto the shore. Ash looked at the princess for a moment and smiled, "I have a question for you Salvia," Ash said as the young royal turned her gaze to Ash, "when is your birthday?" Ash asked Salvia with a hopeful smile.

"My birthday is on the twenty third of February," Salvia replied to Ash's request she continued to look at the trainer and smiled at him, "so when is your birthday Ash," Salvia asked her question.

The trainer looked up to the star filled sky and smirked for a moment, "the twentieth of December," Ash replied as the princess looked over to him in amazement, "yes I know, it's only a month away," Ash remarked quietly as he fell back on to the sand so he could look up to the stars, "honestly I haven't wanted much for my birthday, since I have all I've ever wanted," Ash confessed with a proud smile.

"We are the same, every year for my birthday my dad throws an extravagant party, I get all sorts of gifts, but all I ever wanted was to enjoy a day with my family, most times all I get is clothes that I don't like," Salvia explained as she fell on to the sand next to Ash, she looked up to the night sky and got closer to Ash, "there is one thing I want for my birthday Ash," Salvia started as she rested her head on Ash's shoulder.

Ash turned his head to look at the princess and smiled at her as she moved her arm over the trainer, "what do you want for your birthday?" Ash asked in reply.

Salvia closed her eyes and gently smiled at the trainer, "I want your answer by my birthday," Salvia replied with certainty as she opened her eyes, she gazed into the trainers eyes, "I don't want a gift from you Ash, most times I don't get what I want," Salvia remarked as the trainer placed his finger on the royals lips.

"How about I make a promise to you?" Ash asked the bluenette in an assuring tone, "how about I promise to stay by your side forever?" Ash asked Salvia as her gentle blue eyes stayed fixed on the trainers.

Salvia looked on in amazement as the trainer moved his finger from the princess's mouth to cup her face, she remained speechless at the promise that was made to her, 'is he serious?' Salvia thought as she watched Ash's head move closer, but before Ash's lips made contact with the princess's, Mew appeared in front of them and used its psychic powers to stop them from kissing, 'what? I was so close to kissing Ash again,' Salvia thought as she looked over to see the small pink pokemon laughing at them.

Ash looked at the small pink pokemon as it laughed at them, "alright what's the big idea?" Ash asked as the small pink pokemon hovered in front of the trainer, "that wasn't fair Mew," Ash remarked as he sat up and grabbed his pokeball, Ash threw the pokeball at the new species pokemon only for it to use its psychic powers to stop the pokeball and send it back to Ash.

Salvia burst out into laughter at the sight of Ash failing to capture Mew, "Ash we need to rest at the Pokemon Center before tomorrow's battle," Salvia told Ash as she handed the trainer her pokeball containing her Pupitar.

Ash stood up and looked at the legendary pokemon, "Mew, why did you stop me?" Ash asked Mew but the legendary flew off into the direction of the princess, 'oh well maybe next time,' Ash thought with a grin as he ran off to follow the princess.

_(The Next Day)_

Ash stood outside the pokemon gym with Salvia standing next to him with Misty and Cilan standing behind them, Raichu stood between Ash and Salvia. The group walked into the gym with confidence that Ash was going to win his next battle, Ash looked around to see the battlefield as it was when he was last here, "wow the battlefield is still over a volcano," Ash said in amazement as the rest of the group sat in the stands to watch the trainer participate in the battle.

Meanwhile in an unknown part of the gym a small pink pokemon sat down and prepared to watch the trainer get ready to battle the pin master, Toni walked up to her end of the battlefield and looked over to Ash who was confident, "I take it you want to hear the rules again?" Toni said as Ash shook his head, "good you know the rules of this battle, the one that wins the more than their opponent is declared the winner of the battle," she said as she pulled out her pokeball, "Ninetail's time to flare up," Toni called out her first pokemon of the battle.

Ash pulled out his pokeball and smirked at the opposing pokemon, "Pupitar, I choose you," Ash called out the princess's pokemon for the battle.

The group looked on in amazement, "Ash asked me if he could borrow Pupitar," Salvia explained with a smile as her pokemon got ready to take on the fire type pokemon.

Cilan placed his hand on his chin and smiled at the intelligence of the trainer, "his smartness in battle is amazing, he never asked to borrow one of my pokemon," Cilan pointed out as an elderly man with a white lab coat got ready to judge the battle.

"This is rare, Ash asking to borrow a pokemon, I remember in his first gym battle he refused to borrow my water type pokemon," Misty stated as she looked over to the princess, 'I never expected this from Ash, could it be that they truly love one another?' Misty thought before turning her gaze back towards the battle.

"I will make the first move, Pupitar attack with Stone Edge," Ash instructed the rock type pokemon surrounded itself with stones before sending it out towards the fire type pokemon.

"Quick, stop it with Shadow Ball," Toni instructed her fire type pokemon, the fox like pokemon powered up a powerful sphere before unleashing it at the incoming attack. The attacks collided causing an explosion Toni covered her face as the dust flew pass the two trainers, "he is good," Toni said while noticing that the opposing pokemon was still ready for more in the battle, "Ninetails, start our combination with Sunny Day," Toni told her pokemon, the pokemon let out a howl causing artificial sunlight in the gym.

"I wonder what she is up too," Ash told himself as he started to think about the possibilities, "no time to think, Pupitar attack with Earthquake," Ash called out for the next attack, the rock type glowed red causing the ground to shake, the wave of earth moved towards the fire type rapidly until it made contact, the fox pokemon fell back after taking a devastating hit.

"Fire a Solar Beam," Toni ordered her pokemon with great confidence. The attack was fired quickly and slammed into the opposing pokemon dealing critical damage, "great now end this with Fire Blast," Toni commanded with increasing confidence, she watched her pokemon send out a five pointed fire attack towards the injured rock type pokemon.

"Pupitar!" Salvia yelled out for her pokemon, suddenly the rock type opened its eyes and started to glow a pure white, the pokemon grew taller and gained a large tail, the glowing stopped and a large green pokemon stood at the ready and took the fire type attack, Salvia pulled out her pokedex to gather information on her new pokemon, "Tyranitar," Salvia called out with a smile as the pokemon let out a loud roar, this time send out sand to cover up the sun and got ready to attack.

"Tyranitar, attack with Stone Edge," Ash called out for the next attack of the battle, the dark type pokemon sent out a powerful barrage of stones towards the fire type dealing immense damage to Ninetails. The fire type collapsed after the devastating hit giving Ash the first round of the battle, "nicely done," Ash celebrated as the large pokemon roared out in joy, Ash recalled the pokemon as per the rules of the battle, he looked over to Salvia and nodded at her happily.

"not bad Ash, but this next round will belong to me, go Camerupt," Toni called out her next pokemon to battle, Ash looked at the large red pokemon with two volcanoes bulging from its back, "time to see what you'll do Ash," Toni said with a confident smirk.

Ash pulled out his next pokeball ready to take on the new fire type pokemon, "time to fight fire with fire, Emboar I choose you," Ash called out his next pokemon to take on the battle, "Emboar attack with Brick Break," he commanded confidently.

"Camerupt, use Take Down" Toni called out for the counter attack. The two trainers watched as their pokemon charged towards each other with ferocious power, the glowing fist of the mega pig pokemon made contact with the eruption pokemon's Take Down. The two trainers watched as the two pokemon fell back from the force of the attack, "wow his Emboar is powerful," Toni said as she noticed the panting of her pokemon.

Ash looked over to his panting pokemon as well, "oh man in just one attack we both caused some serious damage," Ash said in amazement.

"Camerupt attack with Rock Slide," Toni called out for the powerful rock type attack.

Ash watched as the ground type sent out an avalanche of boulders towards his pokemon, "Brick Break again," Ash called out. The mega pig's fist started glowing and he started fighting off the boulders while charging through the field of rocks, "now use Head Smash," Ash called for the next attack of the battle.

"Use Iron Head," Toni instructed for the counter attack. The two pokemon charge at one another again this time with even more force, they both head butted each other again this time throwing them back towards their trainers, "Camerupt get up," Toni called out in concern as her pokemon collapsed from the power of the two attacks.

Emboar knelt down on one leg before falling to the ground, "these two can't take much more, even after a few attacks," Cilan stated as the two pokemon slowly got up from the attacks, "it's over," Cilan stated as the group watched the two pokemon collapse again.

"Wow that was amazing," Ash said as he recalled his pokemon, "Metang, I choose you," Ash called out his steel type pokemon.

Toni looked over to Ash and started to laugh at the trainer, "are you serious? You know fire types have the advantage against steel type pokemon," Toni berated Ash while getting ready to call out her next pokemon, "oh well whatever, Flareon time to flare up," Toni called out another mostly red pokemon with a yellow collar and tail, "let's bring a quick end to this battle, attack with Lava Plume," Toni declared her attack.

"Don't underestimate me, Metang counter with Rock Slide," the trainer instructed his steel type pokemon with great confidence. The two attackers sent out a powerful avalanche of rocks and lava to their respective foes, the two moves collided with incredible force but Flareon had the advantage and pushed the rock type move back towards the psychic type pokemon along with the fire type move dealing great damage to Metang, "now hit it with Confusion," Ash called out for another attack.

"Forgot about its psychic abilities," Toni told herself in frustration. The two pokemon became surrounded in a purple aura and Metang started throwing the fire type around preventing it from making any counter attack.

Ash watched as the fire type was slammed into the ground dealing significant damage to it, "now attack with Zen Headbutt," Ash commanded his pokemon with increasing confidence.

"Not so fast Ash, Flareon attack with Fire Fang," Toni instructed her pokemon with equal certainty, the two pokemon charge at each other with Flareon having fire appear from its mouth. The two combatant collided with amazing force pushing them back, it was then Metang started ti glow a pure white, "what another evolution?" Toni asked herself in shock.

"No way, twice in two days," Ash said in shock as his pokemon started to get larger and another two legs appeared from the back, the glowing stopped this time a pokemon with a silver 'X' on the front was standing there ready to battle the Flareon, "first Salvia's pokemon, now my pokemon," Ash said with a smile as his pokemon stared down the fire type pokemon, "Metagross, attack with Meteor Mash," Ash called for the new attack.

"Not good, I only have one chance at this," Toni told herself as the intimidating pokemon got closer with the powerful attack, "close enough, Flareon attack with Lava Plume again," Toni order her next attack to counter her opponents attack, a powerful blast of lava washed over the battlefield and approached the charging psychic type pokemon.

Ash watched in disbelief as his pokemon was hit by the fire type attack, "great I was over confident," Ash said he told himself as his pokemon fell after the powerful attack, it picked itself up but it was too hurt to continue battling, "the round goes to you Toni," Ash said with concern for his pokemon, "sorry Metagross, but digression is the better part of valor," Ash told his pokemon as he returned it giving Toni the round of the battle.

Toni looked over to Ash with a smile on his face, "you showed great concern for your pokemon, that's amazing, even if it cost you the round," Toni pointed out with a smile as she got ready to call out her next pokemon, "Houndoom, time to flare up," Toni called her next pokemon for the fourth round.

"I haven't battled with this pokemon in nearly five years, but Lapras I choose you," Ash called out a large blue pokemon with a gray shell, "time to see what you have learnt over the years Lapras," Ash said with a smile as he nodded at the transport pokemon, "show me your new attacks," Ash told his pokemon with great confidence. With Ash's command being set that water type formed a sphere of water above its mouth and fired it at the opposing dark type pokemon, "Water Pulse, nice," Ash said as the opposing pokemon dodged the attack and got ready to attack the water type pokemon.

"Not good, if that lands I could lose this round, Sunny Day now Houndoom," Toni instructed her pokemon with concern, the fire type howled out as the room was filled with artificial sun light again, "now attack with Solar Beam," Toni ordered with a smile.

Ash nodded with a smile as his pokemon glared at the powerful fire type pokemon, it let out a loud song before it started to rain inside the building, "anyone have umbrellas?" Ash asked as he burst out into laughter, he knew that his pokemon was too slow and allowed it to take the powerful attack, "alright then, now to show them what you can do, Lapras attack with Water Pulse again," Ash issued his command with a smile. A powerful sphere of water appeared above the mouth of Lapras before it fired it at the fire type pokemon.

"Flamethrower now," Toni commanded in panic forgetting about the chance to counter Rain Dance, 'no I forgot about Sunny Day,' Toni thought as the water type move ploughed through the fire attack. "Houndoom no," Toni yelled out in shock as her pokemon was hit by a smashing water attack.

The pokemon got back up slowly as Ash nodded and noticed that another burst of energy appeared above the mouth of Lapras, "that's Dragon Pulse," Ash said as the his pokemon blasted the fire type with a devastating attack. The fire type collapsed from the onslaught of Lapras' powerful attacks, "wow Lapras has gotten stronger," Ash told himself proudly before recalling his water type, 'you will make an amazing pokemon in my team from now on,' Ash thought with a proud smile.

"I never expected this, I better win the next round or this is all over, Chandelure, time to flare up," Toni called out her next pokemon.

Ash looked at the pokemon in shock, "not this again," Ash said with a sigh as he got ready to call out his next pokemon, "Krookodile, I choose you," Ash called forth his next pokemon to battle in what was possibly the last round of the battle, "time to show them what we can do," Ash said as the intimidation pokemon roared out in confidence.

Salvia watched on as Mew moved closer to the princess, it floated up to the princess and sat on her lap, Salvia looked down and smiled at the pokemon, "I take it you're enjoying the battle to," Salvia enquired as the legendary pokemon looked up with its mouth open, "come on Ash, you can win this battle!" Salvia yelled out her support for her love.

"Wow, you have the type advantage again," Toni told Ash with a smile as she got ready to attack the crocodile like pokemon, "Chandelure, attack with Flame Burst," Toni called for the first attack of the round.

"Krookodile, attack with Dragon Claw," Ash told his pokemon with equal confidence while his voice started to get drowned out by the noise of the cheering from his friends and Salvia. The intimidation pokemon charged through the flames that were coming from the fire type before slashing down on the ghost pokemon.

The ghost type fell back from the force of the impact, "not bad, but watch this," Toni said with a smirk while her ghost pokemon got back up, "time to Use Will-O-Wisp," Toni told her pokemon confidently.

"Alright time to counter it with Stone Edge," Ash coached his pokemon on for the attack, the two pokemon became surrounded with their attacks before sending it out towards their respective foes, the stones clashed with the ghostly flames causing an explosion. The smoke and dust picked up after the explosion causing an air of uncertainty between the two foes, "this battle is tougher than I thought," Ash told himself while waiting for the dust to settle.

Salvia, Misty, Cilan, Raichu and Mew continued to watch the battle from the stands, "you can do it Ash!" Salvia yelled out as she continued to increase the volume of her support, Mew watched with intent as the princess yelled out more support for the trainer, "don't worry Mew, I know Ash will win this battle," Salvia said with great confidence while her view didn't alter from the trainer, 'you can win this battle,' Salvia thought proudly while watching the dust almost settle.

"This battle still has some spice left in it," the green haired friend of Ash pointed out.

"I know this battle is of a high level, Ash and Toni aren't giving each other an inch, I sense this battle will go down to the last pokemon," Misty pointed out as most of the dust and smoke had finally settled.

The dust had finally settled with Ash and Toni noticing that their pokemon were still ready to battle on, "Krookodile, attack with Crunch," Ash ordered for the next attack. The ground type charged towards the opposing pokemon with ferocious intent while it waited for the chance to hold off the incoming attack, 'she is almost too calm,' Ash thought as his pokemon got closer to attack the foe.

"Chandelure attack with Energy Ball," the pin master called out for the next attack, a large ball of energy appeared in front of the ghost type pokemon while Krookodile edged closer, "your pokemon is too close," Toni decreed with great assurance, the fire type pokemon fired the attack at the incoming Intimidation knocking it back before it could land the attack, "I make sure to teach my pokemon how to counter type disadvantage," Toni pointed out with a smirk while watching the opposing pokemon struggle to get back up.

Ash gritted his teeth while noticing his pokemon exhaustion, "this could go down to the wire," Ash said with a slight chuckle, "Krookodile, Attack with Stone Edge," Ash told his pokemon calmly. The intimidation pokemon formed the stones with a loud roar and started the barrage of stones.

"Chandelure attack with Will-O-Wisp," Toni ordered with certainty, the fire type sent out another burst of ghostly flames to counter the rock type move. The attack collided but this time a stray fire ball hit the ground type burning it upon impact, "now to end this round," Toni said with a smirk as she the ground type pokemon started to writhe in pain, "Use Hex," Toni told her pokemon to complete the combination, the yellow eyes of the ghost type started to glow with malicious intent while creating an aura around the opposing ground type pokemon.

"No Krookodile," Ash called out to his pokemon as it collapsed to the ground after taking a critical hit from the opposing pokemon, "well I guess we have one round left to decide this battle," Ash told the pin master as she nodded in agreement, they both recalled their pokemon and got ready to call out their next pokemon for the final round of the battle, "I am glad I called the professor for this guy," Ash said as he pulled out his final pokeball, "Salamence, I choose you," Ash called out amostly blue pokemon with large red wings.

"A dragon type, this could be trouble," Toni said with sweat flowing from her face, she tried to regain her nerves as the powerful dragon roar, "Magmortar, time to flare up," Toni called out her final pokemon of the battle, "time to start things off with Rock Tomb," Toni called out for the starting attack of the round, the large red and yellow pokemon hit the ground with its powerful arms and raised rocks near the dragon type pokemon.

"Can't be serious right? Salamence take to the air," Ash told his pokemon as it flapped its massive red wings, the pokemon flew around and awaited the next command of its trainer, "Dragon Pulse," Ash called out for his first attack of the final round, the powerful dragon type opened its mouth and unleashed a mighty blast of energy towards the opponent's fire type pokemon.

"Stop the attack with Flamethrower," Toni ordered her pokemon, the fire type sent out a flurry of flames towards the attack in defence, the attacks collided but the fire type was overpowered quickly by the dragon type, "what no way, no pokemon has stopped my Magmortar's fire attacks before," Toni said as her panic started to rise.

Ash smiled at his foe, "well I have trained this Salamence extremely well, I don't often use him in battle because it wouldn't be fair on my opponents," Ash said with confidence as the fire type received a mighty hit from the dragon type, "Salamence, attack with Dragon Claw," Ash called out for the next attack. The dragon flew towards the fire type with glowing claws, it slashed down on the opposing pokemon but it barely dodged it and got ready to unleash the next attack, "close, but one hit from Dragon Claw would have been the end of the battle," Ash commented loudly as the large dragon landed in front of the trainer.

Toni looked on in amazement, 'wow, he has been holding this one back for a while,' Toni thought with a smile, 'I don't think I can win this battle, but I will give it a try,' Toni thought with a smile, "Magmortar attack with Psychic," Toni ordered her pokemon, the fire type's eyes started to glow blue causing a bright blue aura to surround the mighty dragon type.

"Not a bad move, but not good enough, Salamence attack with Earthquake," Ash instructed his pokemon confidently, the dragon lifted its front legs up and slammed them down onto the ground with incredible force sending out a massive shockwave towards the fire type.

The shockwave slammed into Magmortar dealing immense damage to the massive earthquake, Toni looked on in shock as her pokemon fell to the ground, "amazing, his pokemon is far more powerful than expected," Toni said as she watched her pokemon struggle back to its feet, it was panting from the powerful two hits it received but it still wanted to battle, "Hyper Beam now," Toni called for the powerful attack.

A powerful red and yellow beam emanated from the fire type, the powerful beam approached the dragon type menacingly, "Salamence, dodge the attack," Ash told his pokemon calmly, the dragon type flapped its wings again and took to the air yet again, "now end this with Dragon Pulse," Ash instructed his pokemon. The dragon type sent out a massive blast of energy towards the tiring fire type pokemon, Ash watched as his pokemon's attack smashed into the fire type dealing significant damage to it.

Toni watched as he pokemon fell to the ground again, "Magmortar no," Toni called out to her pokemon as it fainted in battle against the mighty dragon type pokemon, it landed in front of Ash and started to roar while breathing flames into the air, "wow never expected that trainer to be so good," Toni told herself as she recalled her fire type pokemon.

Ash recalled his more than happy dragon type pokemon, "Professor Oak was right, he missed battling with me," Ash said with laughter.

After walking out of the building Toni approached Ash to give him the next pin in his expanding collection while they were waiting for the others to show up, "Ash, this Flare Pin belongs to you, since you have four you will need to take your travels to another region," Toni advised Ash with a smile as she winked at him, "with Salamence on your side the other Pin Masters will need to watch out," Toni told Ash as she walked away from the trainer happily.

Ash turned around only to have Salvia embraced the trainer, "that was an amazing battle Ash," Salvia told Ash as Mew hovered above them while Misty and Cilan watched them embrace.

Ash smiled at the young royal, "thanks for your support," Ash said thankfully. The two pulled away from the embrace, "I believe this belongs to you Salvia," Ash stated while giving the princess back her Tyranitar, "honestly I didn't expect you pokemon to evolve again a day after it became a Pupitar," Ash said while scratching the back of his head.

"It's fine Ash, I am just glad you're using my pokemon to battle with, it will make them stronger which in turn will help me out," Salvia explained as she looked over to her friends, "in fact all my new friends are helping me get stronger," Salvia explained as she grabbed Ash's hand and looked into his eyes.

Ash nodded and looked over to his friends, "our next stop is Pallet Town before we head out to Johto," Ash told his friends with a smile, "but before we do that, I have a promise I need to keep," Ash said calmly while looking into Salvia's gentle blue eyes.

'Finally a date with Ash,' Salvia thought excitedly.

* * *

**The next episode will be the last of the Kanto part of the story, I will be breaking the story up by regions, so after the next episode there will be an entirely new book dedicated to the Johto leg of their adventure.**

**Next Episode will be mostly between Ash and Salvia, that's right the time I think most of you have been waiting for. I will make sure the next episode is sweet and a little fluffy as well, I also promise Mew will not interfere.**

**Next time episode 26: Kept Promises**


	26. Kept Promises

**Episode 26: Kept Promises.**

_This is the final part of this book, with the lead up events to the Johto Saga which will be the next book. This episode will be a little fluffy but that doesn't bother me so much, please enjoy the final episode of the Kanto Saga and I hope to see you all in the Johto Saga._

* * *

Ash, Salvia, Misty and Cilan jumped of the large blue pokemon while looking at the small town just north of the sea, Ash looked around the vast green fields, windmills dotting the landscape, the small houses with little red roofs and the large lab dominating the scenery at the top of a hill, he closed his eyes and thought about his travels with the princess, "it's great to be back even for a little while," Ash stated calmly as the gentle breeze blew pass the group as they started to walk into the small town.

Salvia walked next to Ash while looking around in amazement, "amazing, this place doesn't change much," Salvia said happily as her Raichu broke out of her pokeball again, she ran up to Ash's Raichu and grabbed onto his paw, "seems like my Raichu loves yours," Salvia pointed over to the Raichus with a smile.

After walking for an hour Ash and the traveling group made it to the Ketchum residence and got ready to walk up to the house, "I wonder how mom is going?" Ash asked himself before knocking on the door.

The group waited for the door to open, "coming, just hold on a moment," a familiar voice called out as the trainer heard footsteps approaching the door. After a few minutes the door opened with Delia greeting them with a smile, "Ash, it's been a while," Delia said as she hugged her son Salvia watched this scene and started to smile, Delia looked over to the princess and smiled at her, she pulled back and walked up to Salvia, "so how is my sons girlfriend going?" Delia asked in a teasing tone.

Salvia looked to Ash and closed her eyes, "I am doing just fine," Salvia said politely as she bowed to Ash's mother, "I have made sure that your son has been a good man," Salvia said as she looked back to see her friends laughing at Ash.

Misty walked up to the brunette and pulled out a book from Ash's bag, "yeah and everyday, she makes sure that Ash studies Maths and forces him to read a book a day," Misty pointed out much to the displeasure of the trainer.

"Lady Delia, would it be alright if I borrow your kitchen? There is something I would like to do," Salvia enquired as the mother allowed her in.

Ash walked into the house with his friends following closely behind, he spotted the princess working in the kitchen but didn't worry about it so much, "I will be heading out for a little while," Ash said calmly before walking back out the door, Raichu followed the trainer as he walked towards the gate, the trainer looked down and smiled at his partner pokemon, "sorry buddy but can you spend some time with your girlfriend?" Ash asked his pokemon only to be shocked by his Raichu, the electric mouse walked back into the house while leaving his trainer on the ground after the viscous attack, "I was only joking," Ash said with a smile, he struggled back up and walked out of the gate.

Ash walked down the street on his own walking away from the house towards the shops, "I want to surprise Salvia tonight," Ash told himself while noticing the small pink pokemon hovering next to him, "you know Mew, I really don't want you to interfere tonight like you did on Cinnabar Island," Ash told the rare pokemon with a smirk as the two continued towards the shops, "also I don't think it would be a great idea if you get seen by other people," Ash told the pokemon as the legendary disappeared to prevent from being spotted by other people.

Ash walked into a shop and spotted a suit that would be great for him to wear on the date for the night, he looked around the shops to find the perfect suit for his night out with the young royal, he finally found a suit that worked for his needs, he picked up and looked at the black suit with a white shirt, he looked at the price to find that it was within his range. The trainer walked up to the front counter with the suit and paid the full price.

Ash walked out of the building with the suit in his hand, he flung it over his shoulder and walked around to find the perfect place to eat at, "well this is a first time for me," Ash said with a smile as he walked from restaurant to restaurant to find the perfect place to eat at, I don't want to eat a Pokemon Center, I want the best place possible," Ash told himself as he left another restaurant, it was an hour of searching when he finally found the perfect place to eat at, he walked up the maître 'd of the restaurant with certainty, "I would like to have a booking for two tonight," Ash requested to the man with great confidence.

After making the booking and assuring that everything was set he walked out of the building, he looked up to the hill again and smiled, "well after we have dinner together, maybe was can look at the stars," Ash said while walking back to his home.

Meanwhile Salvia had finished what she started and placed the basket of biscuits and cakes at the front door, "I am almost done," she said as she spotted the trainer getting closer to the house, "no, I can't let him ruin the surprise," Salvia said with a hint of urgency, she quickly made it to the back of the house and placed the basket there to make sure that Ash didn't ruin the surprise.

Ash walked up the steps and ignored the princess , Salvia saw Ash enter his room with a bag over his slung over his shoulder, she looked over to her friends and shrugged her shoulder, "princess why not get ready for tonight," Cilan told the princess with a smile while Misty pushed up the steps.

"How did you two know?" Salvia asked her friends as she stared at them in shock.

"Ash left his X-transceiver on without realizing," Misty pointed out with a cheeky grin.

Salvia made it upstairs and walked into a room, she placed her bag on the bed and started to pull out her royal robes, "finally I can spend some time with Ash alone," Salvia said with a confident grin.

Misty and Cilan waited for a while as they heard one of the doors opening, they looked up the stairs to find that Ash was wearing a nice suit. Ash walked down the stair way with his face blushing from wearing a suit, "I have never worn such a thing," Ash said as Cilan pulled out the camera, "you still have that?" Ash asked his friend with a drawn out sigh.

While Ash was complaining about Cilan holding onto the camera another door opened this time the young royal was walking down the stairs wearing her royal attire, her hair was at the same length, she walked down the steps elegantly with her eyes closed, Ash couldn't move his gaze from Salvia as she got closer to the ground floor.

"Salvia, wow you're beautiful," Ash said while his heart was pounding in his chest at a quickening rate.

Salvia opened her eyes and looked at the trainer who was wearing a suit, she walked up to him and extend her gloved hand to the trainer, "Ash, you look great," Salvia said with a smile before turning to her friends she spotted the camera and grabbed a hold of Ash's hands, she wrapped her arm around the trainers arms and nodded at Cilan, "please I want to see a picture of this," Salvia requested as her friend nodded happily, the camera flashed as Salvia and Ash smiled for the picture.

Ash looked to his Raichu and smiled, "make sure the rest of the pokemon stay here," Ash instructed his starter pokemon calmly. Ash looked over to his mother who was adoring the fact that her son was dating a real life princess, "we will be back later on," Ash told his mother as Misty opened the door for the duo.

Delia followed Ash and Salvia out the door and waved at them, "remember Ash, you better act like a true gentleman," Delia said as Cilan and Misty started to laugh at their friend while Salvia continued to cling to Ash's arm.

The two walked down into the main part of town with the lights starting to switch on one at a time, Ash and Salvia continued to walk through the main street looking at the shop windows on the way to the restaurant that Ash had selected for them to eat at. The site of Ash and Salvia walking through the main street of Pallet Town attracted many eyes of people who were walking by, "look at that young lady, she looks like a princess," some of people said while Ash and the young royal continued to walk down the street.

Ash and Salvia finally made it to the restaurant of choice and walked in, the two waited for the person in charge, they looked around to find multiple tables with candles all alight, they attracted even more attention, eventually the person in charge walked up to them, "excuse me I made a booking for tonight," Ash said with a smile.

The maître 'd looked in to his list of bookings, "who am I looking for?" he replied calmly as he continued to look through the list of bookings.

"Ash Ketchum, for a table for two," Ash retorted as the man finally found the trainers name.

He walked from behind the desk and escorted Ash and Salvia to the best table in the building, Ash moved the seat back and signalled for the princess to sit down, "I will be sending a waiter to this table very soon," the maître 'd said with a smile as he walked off to find his best waiter.

Ash sat down and looked at the princess happily, "I bet you were waiting for a night like this," Ash said with a smile as the young royal looked around at the fancy restaurant.

Salvia turned her gaze to the trainer and nodded, "you know we have earned this break, I am glad I can spend some time with you, just the two of us," Salvia said sweetly as a man wearing a waiters uniform walked up to their table, holding menus in his hands, "seems like we will be ordering soon," Salvia stated happily.

"My name is Jake, I will be your waiter for tonight's proceedings, he I have your menus," he said while handing out the menus one at a time to the couple, "I have also brought you both a bottle of spring water," he said while placing the bottle of water on the table with a glass for each of his customers, "I will be back to take your order in five minutes," he said before politely walking off to get his stuff ready for the order.

Salvia and Ash looked at the menu so they could decide on what they want to eat, "so many options," Ash said while looking at the first part of the menu.

Salvia looked over to Ash and smiled, "Ash, I don't want to order dessert, I will tell you why later," Salvia said calmly before looking back to her menu. 'He is right so many different options,' Salvia thought as she found an appetizer that sounded good for her, "Ash, I know what my orders are going to be," Salvia told Ash as the trainer nodded.

Ash grinned as he already had his order ready, "that's good, I have a meal that I order from here often," Ash stated as they put down the menu.

After another couple of minutes the waiter, "are you two ready to place your orders?" the waiter asked with a smirk as he grabbed out his pan and order pad. Ash and Salvia placed down their orders for the meals that they respectively wanted, the waiter wrote down the orders with great precision, "so for the young lady we have a minestrone soup, followed by a veal schnitzel with gravy and salad, and for the gentleman we have a club sandwich with chips and salad followed by a Beef Vindaloo," the repeated their order quietly before heading off to place the order into the kitchen.

Ash grabbed the bottle of water and started to tip the water in the glass, "Salvia, would you like some water?" Ash asked quietly, the princess nodded in reply and handed Ash her glass, Ash tipped the water in the glass and put the bottle down, "so what kind of surprise do you have in store for me?" Ash asked the royal as she sipped her drink.

Salvia placed the drink down and glared at Ash, "I will not be telling you a thing Ash, you just have to wait for the time," Salvia said calmly as she waited for her meal to arrive.

"I just hope we don't get interrupted this time around," Ash said with a slight chuckle as he grabbed his glass, he took a sip of his water. After having a small sip of water he looked into the princess's gentle eyes and smiled, "how about our next date we go to Goldenrod City in Johto," Ash told the princess quietly.

"Is that city nice?" Salvia asked in response.

"What, you want to choose something for us to do the next time we spend some time together?" Ash asked the bluenette whose eyes brightened up even more, "I will take that as a yes," Ash replied to his own question.

"How about in a nice field where there are lots of grass and bug type pokemon in the area?" Salvia asked as the waiter returned with the orders of food in hand, "next time we will have a picnic," Salvia told Ash as she looked down to see the marvellous food in front of her, "wow this looks great," she said as she grabbed the spoon.

Ash looked down at his sandwich and grabbed the first half, "time to eat," Ash said happily before taking a large bite of the sandwich as Salvia politely started to have her soup, Ash looked up and smiled at the young woman who was sipping her soup quietly, "Salvia, come on we aren't in the palace," Ash said with laughter.

Salvia noticed a bit of the sandwich on Ash's face, she grabbed a napkin and lent in to remove it, "if you eat your food at a slower rate, you have less chance of making a mess and suffering from indigestion," Salvia explained with a worried look on her face, "we are here to spend time together, so please take your time and enjoy the moment," Salvia advised Ash who was busy eating his food, "why do I bother?" Salvia asked as she politely continued to have her minestrone.

Ash finished his first part of the meal before Salvia, but the royal wasn't far behind, "that was great," Ash said while moving his plate in front of him.

As time passed on Salvia finished her soup and gently wiped her mouth with her napkin, "that was fantastic," Salvia decreed happily as the two waited for their waiter to come back and take their respective empty plates and bowls, "so Ash, have you come up with an answer yet?" Salvia asked her love quietly.

Ash looked at the table and sighed for a moment, "no, not yet Salvia, I was hoping to get the answer by tonight." Ash said with a saddened looked on his face; Salvia placed her hand over the trainers and quietly gazed into his eyes, "what if I don't come up with an answer?" Ash asked with slight irritation.

Salvia smiled at the trainer and rubbed his hands smoothly, "no need to worry Ash, I will be with you, I know you will come up with something," Salvia said sweetly as the waiter collected the empty plate and bowl, "I know that this is a long time off, but how about finding your answer along the way and giving it to me once we are done with our travels," Salvia told Ash happily as she moved her hands away from Ash's.

Ash smiled at the royal and let out a little laugh, "you're right Salvia," Ash replied to Salvia's wise words while waiting for the last part of their meal, "you know something, I feel that I am real lucky to have you with me," Ash professed as the waiter walked up to the table with the respective plates of Ash and Salvia, the two grabbed their respective utensils to start eating their main meals.

The two quietly ate their meals as the trainers face started to heat up from the curry he had ordered, Salvia noticed this and started to giggle at the trainer, "you ordered the hottest meal on the menu," Salvia pointed towards the plate of food, Ash nodded with a smile as he grabbed another lot of the spicy meal and placed it in his mouth, "oh well, not like I can do anything to stop you," Salvia pointed out as she quietly cut up her food and placed another portion in her mouth.

The two ate in quiet as they finally completed their main meals, "that was great," Ash said happily as he pushed his plate in front of him.

Salvia took the last bite of her meal and moved her plate in front of her, "this place is amazing," Salvia stated with great joy, "why this place in particular?" Salvia asked the trainer in front of her.

Ash looked around called for the waiter, "well you see my mom use to work here, sometimes the boss gives free meals to ex-employees," Ash told the princess calmly as the waiter handed over the bill, "but my mom refused, she said she only wanted some of the recipes this restaurant uses," Ash explained as he picked up the bill, he noticed that Salvia was picking up her purse, Ash moved his hand to prevent Salvia from taking money from the purse, "no Salvia, I am paying for it," Ash told the young royal as he grabbed out the sufficient fund to pay for the meal.

"But you have been paying for everything I have done," Salvia said with a slight frown, "there is no need for you to be gentleman all the time," Salvia instructed Ash but the trainer didn't relent he was adamant to pay for the bill with his own money. Salvia watched Ash walk up to the front counter with his money to pay for the for the meal they both had, 'he has to do everything himself,' Salvia thought as the trainer returned to the table to leave the establishment.

"Come on Salvia, time to go," Ash said as they walked out of the building, suddenly Mew appeared in front of them causing Ash to get a little angry at the pokemon, "Mew, please leave us for tonight," Ash told the pokemon with slight frustration.

Salvia walked up to the pink pokemon and whispered her instructions to the pokemon, "come Ash, I want to see the stars tonight," Salvia told Ash as she took his hand and forced him to come along, "I want tonight to last a little longer," Salvia said greedily as she pulled Ash away from the main street, she let go of Ash's hand knowing now that Ash had little choice but to follow her to where she wanted to go, "you wanting to protect me has led you to this hill right?" Salvia asked the trainer as she walked up to the basket, 'thank you Mew,' Salvia thought as she grabbed a blanket and unfolded it so she could sit on it and share some of the goodies inside the basket with Ash.

Ash walked up to the blanket and sat down next to Salvia, "so a late night picnic was your surprise?" Ash asked quietly as the princess happily nodded her head. "On the best hill in the entire town, here we can either see the lights of the entire town or have a look at the night sky," Ash explained everything to the princess, she looked up to see a crescent moon over their heads, "I use to come here often," Ash said quietly as he looked up to look at the sea of stars twinkling brightly in the dark sky.

"I could never hope to see such a sight, I was always in the palace, being the sole heir to the thrown has sort of made my life miserable," Salvia explained as she grabbed a tin filled with biscuits and pulled out a few cupcakes, "here I made these for us," Salvia declared as she handed some of the sweets to Ash.

Ash looked at the items and grabbed one of them gently, "thanks Salvia," Ash gratefully said before taking a bite of the small cake, he closed his eyes as the taste of the cake overwhelmed him, "Salvia this is amazing," Ash complimented the young royal as she watched him enjoy her baking, Salvia soon took a bite from her creation, "you seem to be enjoying it as well," Ash pointed out as he finish the small cake.

Salvia finished her dessert and fell back on the blanket to look at the night sky, "Ash, what other places are really nice?" Salvia asked the trainer as she turned her head towards him.

Ash then fell back and looked into the princess's gentle blue eyes, "there is a place called Floraroma Town, I will not tell you too much because you have to see it for yourself," Ash told the young royal as she leaned her head in the trainers shoulder, "then there is the Dragon Shrine in Johto which will be the last place we visit in that region," Ash said before the bluenette interrupted him.

"No need to tell me anymore, just show me those places," Salvia instructed Ash as she looked up to see more of the stars. Suddenly a star shot across the inky night sky, "Ash, a shooting star," Salvia pointed to the star as it disappeared entirely.

"I saw it to," Ash said with a smile as another couple of stars shot through the night sky, "a rare sight, I have an idea, how about we wish quietly on those stars," Ash told the young royal as she nodded happily, 'I wish to find my answer soon,' Ash thought out his wish before opening his eyes.

Salvia sighed quietly and smiled, 'I want Ash to be with me, never to leave my side,' Salvia thought while opening her eyes, she gazed into Ash's brown eyes and grinned. Salvia closed her eyes and thought about something that seemed more reality than ever, she pictured their wedding day with thousands of people watching that special day, "I can't think of that straight away," Salvia told herself as she opened her eyes and a bright crimson red appeared across her face.

The trainer removed his hat and gazed into the princess's eyes yet again, "now this time we will have no one to interrupt us, not even Mew," Ash stated as he placed his hand on the bluenette's face. A silence fell between the two as they looked lovingly into one another's eyes, no one around them to interfere with what was about to happen next, Salvia moved closer, eventually after what seemed like forever passed their lips made contact.

They both closed their eyes with confidence that no one or nothing was going to stop this moment, they felt the world shake around them and fireworks going off inside them, 'it was better than the last time,' Salvia thought as she placed her hands on Ash's face.

Ash couldn't believe the feeling he was experiencing, it was now an indescribable feeling, his heart was racing ready to fly out of his chest, 'amazing, is our bond stronger now? Or are we meant to be together?' Ash asked in thought.

The two pulled away after what felt like time had stopped around them, the two smiled at one another and sat up, "Ash, I love you," Salvia declared as she sat next to Ash, she placed her head on the trainers shoulder again.

Ash placed his arm around the princess and smiled at her, "I love you two Salvia," Ash professed with great confidence as they looked down to see the lights of the town twinkling like the night sky, "time for us to go home," Ash said but the princess kept her seat and closed her eyes, "Salvia, it's getting late," the trainer pointed out with a frown.

"No Ash, just a little longer please, I want to spend more time with you without others watching us," Salvia said sweetly as closed her eyes, "I don't want you to let me go, even for a second," Salvia told Ash as she started to go to sleep in the trainers arms, "I am loving tonight," Salvia said quietly before her sentence could end she fell asleep.

Ash looked down and chuckled slightly, "don't worry," Ash said calmly as he picked himself up and picked up the princess to carry her home, "Mew, can you please take this stuff to my home?" Ash asked out as the small pink pokemon appeared in front of him as he walked off with the princess in his arms, he looked down to see the princess snuggling in his arms with a bright smile on her face, "sweet dreams my angel," Ash said quietly while walking home.

* * *

**I hope you all enjoyed this sweet Episode, the story in Kanto has come to an end, now time for Ash and Salvia to face the next challenge in Johto.**

**Next time book 2: Episode 27: Devastating News**

_Yes this episode was a little fluffy, but I don't care, I just thought it would be great for Ash and Salvia to spend some time together without their friends and pokemon getting in the way._


End file.
